Newsletter Index:
Page 1: Effective Approaches to Pain Management | Fibromyalgia and Pilates
Page 2: Breaking the Pain Cycle
Page 3: Multidisciplinary Functional Restoration Approach
Page 4: Acupuncture Provides Long-Term Relief of Low Back Pain

Up to 80 percent of the world's population will suffer from back pain at some point and recurrence rates for low back pain can reach as high as 50 percent in the first few months following an initial episode.

The use of acupuncture to treat this condition has increased dramatically in the past few decades, with clinical proof that acupuncture is a safe and effective procedure for low-back pain. Acupuncture can maintain positive outcomes for periods of six months or longer without producing the negative side-effects that often accompany more traditional pain remedies.

A Swedish study of 50 patients suffering from chronic low back pain for a minimum of six months and who had tried a variety of other therapies (such as corsets, nerve blocks, drugs and physio-therapy) were randomly assigned to a manual acupuncture group, an electro-acupuncture group or a placebo group, and given 20 minute treatments once per week for eight weeks. A follow-up treatment was given after two months, and a tenth and final treatment was given after an additional two months.

Patients recorded pain levels in their pain diaries on pain intensity, intake of analgesics, sleep quality and activity level. An independent observer assessed them at baseline, one month, three months and six months after the treatment period. Patients given acupuncture reported morning and evening pain scores lower than the placebo group.