Acupuncture at the Back-Pain-Acupoints for Chronic Low Back Pain of Peacekeepers in Lebanon: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

Background

Acupuncture has long been employed for the treatment of chronic low back pain [CLBP]. The aim of this randomized, controlled study was to validate back-pain-acupoints acupuncture for relieving CLBP compared with standard acupuncture and usual care.

Methods

In total, 236 patients with CLBP participated in this study. Eligible patients were randomized to back-pain-acupoints acupuncture, standard acupuncture, or usual care groups. Fourteen treatments were provided over four weeks. Back-related dysfunction and symptom severity were assessed by Roland–Morris Disability Questionnaire [RMDQ] and visual analog scale [VAS] scores. Repeated-measures analysis of variance [ANOVA] was employed for factorial analyses.

Results

The back-pain-acupoints acupuncture group improved by RMDQ scores and VAS scores [P < 0.001 for both] compared with the usual care group. The standardized acupuncture group also improved by RMDQ scores and VAS scores [P < 0.001 for both] compared with the usual care group. The back-pain-acupoints group improved by RMDQ scores [four weeks, P < 0.05; 24 weeks, P < 0.001] and VAS scores [P < 0.05 for both] compared with the standardized group. Across the three testing points, significant differences were found in the RMDQ and VAS scores between the usual care group and both treatment groups [P < 0.001]. A significant difference was found between the back-pain-acupoints and standardized acupuncture groups in repeated-measures ANOVA [P < 0.05].

Conclusion

Both acupuncture groups have beneficial and persistent effectiveness against CLBP compared with the usual care group. Back-pain-acupoints acupuncture is significantly more effective than standardized acupuncture.

Keywords:

• Acupuncture
• low back pain
• clinical trial

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Dr Yun Mingdong has full access to all of the data in the study and takes responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis. Dr Xiong Na and Guo Mingyang take responsibility for credibility of the study design, and the other co-authors had full access to all the data in the study. The authors thank Dr Liu Defang for statistical analysis help and editorial assistance and thank Dr Jose who is the team doctor of the Spanish peacekeeping army for language support.

Financial conflict interest: No authors of this paper have reported any possible conflict of interests.