Acupuncture has been proven an effective treatment for a variety of ailments including low back pain. But a new study found that the healing effect of acupuncture persists long after the treatment period is over.
The study was conducted in England. Nearly 250 sufferers of chronic low back pain were enrolled in a 3-month program. The participants were randomized to a standard treatment including exercise, physical therapy, and medication or 10 sessions of acupuncture plus the standard therapy.
Assessment of pain and satisfaction was assessed after the 3-month treatment period and again at 12 and 24 months. The researchers wanted to determine if acupuncture was as effective in the long term as it was in the acute term.
After the 3-month period both groups showed improvement in overall satisfaction and pain levels. After 12 months acupuncture plus the standard therapy seemed to have a slight improvement over the standard treatment alone.
At the 24-month follow-up the researchers found results that were above expectation. The acupuncture plus group had even greater improvement and long standing effects from the 3-month treatment compared to the standard therapy alone group.
They concluded that not only is acupuncture an effective treatment for acute conditions, but its healing effects last long and improve with time.
Acupuncture is a safe and effective complementary therapy that has grown in popularity over the last decade. The Chinese has used it for centuries to treat a variety of conditions.
Posted by Dr. Christina Gutierrez on September 17, 2006 03:01 PM
