The novel study has found that the process of sticking needles in the body is far more effective in alleviating chronic back pain than the conventional treatments.
Acupuncture is already widely used for the relief of pain. But what this novel study shows is really amazing; that piercing toothpicks instead of real needles into specific energy points can also help relieve the pain.
In the latest study, people suffering from chronic low back pain who received simulated acupuncture treatments- in which toothpicks were inserted instead of needles- fared better than those receiving only conventional care.
How the research was conducted
To examine the effects of different types of acupuncture, a team of researchers led by Dr. Daniel Cherkin of Group Health Center for Health Studies in Seattle enrolled 638 patients with chronic low back pain.
Researchers randomly assigned all the participants to one of four groups- first group received seven weeks of standardized acupuncture treatment; second group underwent individually prescribed acupuncture treatment; third group received simulated acupuncture, which mimics needle acupuncture but does not involve penetration of the skin as regular acupuncture does; the fourth group got just standard medical treatment.
At 8, 26, and 52 weeks, the research team measured back-related dysfunction and found that the participants in all three acupuncture groups improved their dysfunction scores significantly more than the group receiving usual care.
"Compared with usual care, individualized acupuncture, standardized acupuncture and simulated acupuncture had beneficial and persisting effects on chronic back pain," the authors wrote.
What the research team found
They found that at eight weeks, 60 percent of the participants who received any type of acupuncture demonstrated a clinically meaningful improvement in their level of functioning, compared with 39 percent of those who received usual care.
And after one-year, the difference of improvement between the acupuncture groups and the normal care group narrowed, with 59 percent to 65 percent of those in the acupuncture groups showing an improvement in function, compared with 50 percent of the usual care group.
In the trial, the simulated acupuncture, the "fake" version of the ancient needle therapy, also appeared as effective as needles penetrating the skin.
"We found that simulated acupuncture, without penetrating the skin, produced as much benefit as needle acupuncture – and that raises questions about how acupuncture works," said Dr. Cherkin.
"We don't know precisely why people got back pain relief from the simulated acupuncture," he added. "Maybe the context in which people get treatment has effects that are more important than the mechanically induced effects."
The findings of the trial, called Spine (Stimulating Points to Investigate Needling Efficacy), appear in Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
What is acupuncture?
Acupuncture, a procedure adapted from ancient Chinese therapy, involves the use of sharp, very thin needles that are inserted in the body at very specific points to try to control pain and reduce stress.
This process is believed to adjust and alter the body's energy flow into healthier patterns, and is used to treat various types of illnesses and health conditions. The insertion of sharp, thin needles activates certain parts of the body.
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