Treatment regimens of acupuncture for low back pain—A systematic review

Yuan, J; Kerr, Daniel; Park, Jongbae Jay; Liu, X. H.; McDonough, Suzanne

doi:10.1016/j.ctim.2008.04.006

Cited by 26 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 50 publications

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“…Alternative local and distal acupuncture points described in the literature for back pain include BL40, BL54, BL60, GB30, GB34, GV3, GV4, GV26, KI3, SI3 as well as tender points. 10 Patients taking strong opioids and adjuvants have been previously documented to derive an analgesic effect from acupuncture. 13 As the patient's neuropathic pain was so well localised to her mastectomy scar, I decided to use the 'surrounding the dragon' technique close to the scar line.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…12 I chose the bladder meridian for treatment of the patient's lower back pain, as her main trigger points fell upon this meridian: in addition, BL23 and BL25 have been described in the literature as being of use in the treatment of non-specifi c lower back pain. 10 The points used allowed me although the fall in her pain score may have been due to the immediate release oral morphine. I saw her 2 weeks later and the pain was much better-I had planned to see her the following week but she was unable to attend this appointment.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…10 Acupuncture has been shown to be an effective treatment for chronic low back pain, 11 with a meta-analysis of 33 studies showing that acupuncture was significantly more effective than sham treatment and no additional treatment-less data is available for acute low back pain. 12 I chose the bladder meridian for treatment of the patient's lower back pain, as her main trigger points fell upon this meridian: in addition, BL23 and BL25 have been described in the literature as being of use in the treatment of non-specifi c lower back pain.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A 54-Year-Old Woman with Degenerative Back Pain

Tuck¹

2010

Acupunct Med

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A 54-Year-Old Woman with Degenerative Back Pain

Tuck¹

2010

Acupunct Med

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“…22 According to previous studies, a minimum of six sessions of acupuncture is optimal for chronic LBP, 23,24 and six to ten treatment sessions is the number generally reported by textbooks and clinical studies as well as in clinical practice. 25 The paucity of high-quality evidence to support the cumulative effects of repeated acupuncture interventions together with the effect of each treatment suggests the outcomes need further investigation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Does the dose of Traditional Chinese Medicine acupuncture in addition to usual care affect outcomes for adults with chronic low back pain? Protocol for a randomized controlled feasibility study

Liu

Skinner

McDonough

et al. 2015

Physical Therapy Reviews

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Background: Acupuncture is considered a clinically effective and cost-effective treatment option for chronic low back pain. However, few clinical trials have evaluated the dose dependence of acupuncture for chronic low back pain based on the number of sessions. Conclusions are conflicting and there is little high-quality evidence to support the cumulative effects of repeated interventions. A randomized controlled trial to investigate the optimal number of sessions of acupuncture in addition to usual care for adults with chronic low back pain is required; a feasibility study to test the rationale and method for the full-scale trial is the first step in that process. Design: A pragmatic parallel three-armed randomized, controlled feasibility study. Methods: Forty-five participants with chronic low back pain will be recruited locally and randomized on a 1:1:1 basis to receive usual care plus 4 (n = 15), 7 (n = 15) or 10 sessions (n = 15) of semi-standardized acupuncture. Primary outcomes are acceptability of and adherence to different numbers of sessions of acupuncture, as well as the feasibility of the recruitment approach and completion of the specific outcome measures. Secondary outcomes include pain intensity and patient satisfaction. Follow-up questionnaires will be collected at discharge, 6, and 12 weeks after randomization. Discussion: Outcomes will inform the decision to conduct a full-scale trial to definitively test the dose dependence of acupuncture. Findings will add to the limited evidence available regarding the optimal number of sessions of acupuncture in the management of chronic low back pain, as well as being clinically relevant to clinicians, researchers and policy makers.

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“…The bulk of the published literature on acupuncture for low back pain consists of case reports, case series, or clinical trials 4 . The every-day clinical practice of acupuncture has received less attention, although Yuan and colleagues 5 found important and potentially clinically significant differences in treatment regimens for low back pain when they compared regimens described in published RCTs, textbooks, expert opinion pieces, surveys and case studies. While some trials have made considerable efforts to create a treatment protocol that reflects normal clinical practice in the terms of point prescription, frequency and duration of treatment 6;7 this has certainly not been the case across the board for all acupuncture studies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Acupuncture for low back pain: A survey of clinical practice in the UK

Bishop

Zaman

Lewith

2011

Complementary Therapies in Medicine

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ObjectivesAcupuncture is recommended in official UK guidelines for persistent non-specific low back pain and is popular with patients. However, what UK-based acupuncturists actually do in every day clinical practice is poorly documented. We therefore conducted a survey of every-day clinical practice of acupuncture for low back pain in the UK. DesignCross-sectional postal survey. SettingRandom samples of 100 acupuncturists from each of the three main UK societies for acupuncturists were sent questionnaires. Main Outcome MeasuresA questionnaire designed (and pilot-tested) for this study asked about: training and professional identity, current work situation, and typical approach to treating a patient with low back pain. ConclusionsThere is huge variation in how acupuncture is used by UK practitioners to treat people with low back pain. This probably constitutes a difficult situation for patients when selecting an acupuncturist. It may also translate into large variation in clinical outcomes for patients receiving care from different acupuncturists as well as difficulty in developing acupuncture protocols for pragmatic and other trials. .Such diversity reflects the ongoing debate within the acupuncture profession about good practice for common conditions.

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Treatment regimens of acupuncture for low back pain—A systematic review

Cited by 26 publications

References 50 publications

A 54-Year-Old Woman with Degenerative Back Pain

A 54-Year-Old Woman with Degenerative Back Pain

Does the dose of Traditional Chinese Medicine acupuncture in addition to usual care affect outcomes for adults with chronic low back pain? Protocol for a randomized controlled feasibility study

Acupuncture for low back pain: A survey of clinical practice in the UK

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