Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 29, 2025
Author Spotlight: Unveiling the Therapeutic Effects of FSN Treatment – Bridging Research and Clinical Applications in Neuropathic Pain
Published on: June 30, 2023
Therapeutic Efficacy and the Impact of the "Dose" Effect of Acupuncture to Treat Sciatica: A Randomized Controlled
Ching-Hsiung Liu1,2, Yen-Ying Kung2,3,4, Chun-Liang Lin1
1Department of Neurology, Lotung Poh-Ai Hospital, Ilan, Taiwan, Republic of China.
Purpose:
To investigate the required sample size for and feasibility of a full-scale randomized controlled trial examining the impact of the "dose" effect of acupuncture in treating sciatica.
Patients And Methods:
Fifty-seven patients with sciatica, aged 35-70 years, were recruited and screened. Thirty-one participants were randomly assigned to receive "low-dose" manual acupuncture (MAL) (n= 15) or "high-dose" manual acupuncture (MAH) (n=16). The acupuncture treatment was administered twice weekly for 4 weeks. The primary outcome was the visual analog scale (VAS) score at baseline and after 4 weeks of acupuncture treatment. Secondary outcomes included the Roland Disability Questionnaire for Sciatica (RDQS), the Sciatica Bothersomeness Index (SBI), and the World Health Organization Quality of Life in the Brief Edition (WHOQOL-BREF) scores at baseline and after 4 weeks of acupuncture treatment.
Results:
Thirty patients completed the study. For all patients, acupuncture achieved significant improvement in the VAS (5.48±2.0, p<0.001), RDQS (3.18±2.83, p=0.004), and SBI (2.85±3.23, p=0.008) scores, but not in the WHOQOL-BREF scores. In the between-group analysis, the assessed scales showed no significant differences between the MAL and MAH groups. However, based on the level of chronicity, the MAH group demonstrated greater improvement in the outcomes and a significant benefit in the physical subscale of the WHOQOL-BREF (p<0.05).
Conclusion:
Results of this pilot study indicate that acupuncture is safe and may effectively relieve symptoms and disability in patients with non-acute sciatica. MAL was as effective as MAH in treating sciatica. A subsequent trial with a larger sample size (estimated at n=96) is required to confirm whether patients with a high level of chronicity would benefit from MAH treatment.
Trial Registration:
NCT03489681.
