Acupuncture-movement therapy for acute lumbar sprain: a randomized controlled clinical trial

Several studies have reported that acupuncture is effective for treatment of acute lumbar sprain, but they neglected to consider that acupuncture cannot remarkably improve lumbar activity. We performed a randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effect of acupuncture-movement therapy versus conventional acupuncture in the treatment of acute lumbar sprain.

Sixty patients were randomized into four groups: the acupuncture-movement (AM) group, sham acupuncture-movement (SAM) group, conventional acupuncture (CA) group, and physical therapy (PT) group. Patients in the AM group were treated with acupuncture at Yintang (EX-HN 3) and exercise of the lumbar region during acupuncture. Patients in the SAM group were treated with sham acupuncture at Yintang (EX-HN 3) and exercise of the lumbar region during sham acupuncture. Conventional acupuncture was performed in the CA group, and physical therapy was applied in the PT group. Each treatment lasted for 20 min. Patients were assessed before and after treatment using a visual analogue scale (VAS) and the Roland Morris Questionnaire (RMQ).

The VAS and RMQ scores in the AM group were significantly lower after than before treatment (P < 0.01). The AM group reported lower RMQ scores in after-treatment and 24 h after treatment and lower VAS score in 24 h after treatment in comparison with those of the CA, SAM, and PT groups (P < 0.05).

Acupuncture-movement therapy is effective for treating acute lumbar sprain with a persistent pain-relief and remarkable improvement of lumbar activity. Movement, that is, lumbar exercise during acupuncture, enhances the effect of acupuncture.