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Acupuncture for chronic low back pain: protocol for a multicenter, randomized, sham-controlled trial
Jun-Hwan Lee1, Hi-Joon Park, Hyangsook Lee
1Department of Oriental Rehabilitation Medicine, College of Oriental Medicine, Kyung Hee University, 1 Hoegi-dong, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul 130-701, Republic of Korea. mysong@khu.ac.kr.
BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders
|June 15, 2010
Summary
This randomized sham-controlled trial investigates acupuncture for chronic low back pain. Results will clarify if acupuncture offers a significant benefit for this common condition.
Area of Science:
- Pain Management
- Integrative Medicine
- Clinical Trials
Background:
- Chronic low back pain affects many individuals, with increasing use of acupuncture.
- Evidence for acupuncture's effectiveness in chronic low back pain is currently inconclusive.
- A multi-center randomized sham-controlled trial is reported to address this evidence gap.
Purpose of the Study:
- To verify the efficacy of acupuncture in treating chronic low back pain.
- To compare real acupuncture treatment against a sham acupuncture control group.
Main Methods:
- Multi-center randomized sham-controlled trial with two parallel arms.
- Inclusion criteria: low back pain ≥ 3 months, Visual Analog Scale (VAS) score ≥ 5, age 18-65.
- Participants received either real or sham acupuncture twice weekly for 6 weeks, with assessments at multiple time points up to 24 weeks.
Main Results:
- Primary outcome: VAS score for low back pain bothersomeness at 8 weeks.
- Secondary outcomes assessed via questionnaires at baseline and 6, 8, 12, and 24 weeks.
- Study results are anticipated in 2010.
Conclusions:
- The trial's findings will determine the effectiveness of acupuncture for chronic low back pain.
- This study aims to provide clear evidence regarding acupuncture's role in managing chronic low back pain.