The NIH study notes that acupuncture reduces chronic back pain in the elderly
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With almost a quarter of all adults with chronic back pain, many Americans are now looking for alternatives to opioids for significant relief.
A recent study, backinaction, shows that manual acupuncture treatments can be an effective pain treatment for adults.
The study funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) compared usual medical care such as drugs or physiotherapy to similar care, as well as acupuncture.
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The trial included 800 men and women aged 65 and over with chronic low back pain of chronic low back pain. Participants were divided into three different groups – usual care only, up to 15 acupuncture treatments over three months and up to 21 acupuncture treatments – for 15 standard sessions, plus 6 maintenance sessions over six months.
A study funded by NIH shows that acupuncture treatments considerably reduce chronic low back pain and disability in adults 65 and over. (istock)
The researchers found that the two groups receiving acupuncture reported greater reductions in pain -related disability than the usual care group during evaluations of six and 12 months.
Other advantages of acupuncture were the reduction in pain intensity, improving physical functions and fewer symptoms of anxiety.
Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese medicine introduced in the United States in the 1970s.
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The technique consisted in inserting fine needles into the skin at specific anatomical grid points, according to the NIH.
The author of the main study Lynn Debar, Ph.D. says that the size of the effect was modest, it was positive and sustained.
About 24.3% of adults experience chronic back pain. (istock)
“Our clinical results suggest that acupuncture works well as well as many things that are more familiar to people,” said Debar in a press release.
Co-directed researcher Andrea Cook, Ph.D., said the elderly have also often dealt with other medical problems in addition to back pain.
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“Acupuncture offers a less invasive option that has a better security profile than many common treatments for back pain in the elderly,” Cook said in the press release.
According to the NIH, the share of adults using acupuncture increased from 1% in 2002 to 2.2% in 2022 – more than double over two decades.
The share of adults using acupuncture increased from 1% in 2002 to 2.2% in 2022, more than double over two decades. (istock)
More than 72% of Americans who had the treatment used it for pain.
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