The effectiveness of electroacupuncture versus electrical heat acupuncture in the management of chronic low-back pain - PubMed (original) (raw)
Clinical Trial
The effectiveness of electroacupuncture versus electrical heat acupuncture in the management of chronic low-back pain
Margaret L K Tsui et al. J Altern Complement Med. 2004 Oct.
Abstract
Design: Forty-two (42) subjects suffering from chronic low-back pain were matched with the nature of their occupations and then randomly allocated into: (1) an electroacupuncture group (EA); (2) an electrical heat acupuncture (EH) group or; (3) a control group.
Interventions: Subjects in the EA group and the EH group received treatment for 20 minutes on a total of 6 acupuncture points. Treatment was delivered twice per week for 4 weeks (a total of 8 sessions). Back exercise was taught to all subjects including the control group as a home program.
Outcomes measures: A numerical rating scale of pain (NPRS), straight leg raise (SLR), and Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ) were recorded.
Results: There were significant reduction of NPRS within the EA (p = 0.000), EH (p = 0.000), and control (p = 0.013) groups across sessions. Significant between-group differences were shown in session 4 (p = 0.006), session 8 (p = 0.001), and 1-month follow-up sessions (p = 0.001). Posthoc tests showed that the NPRS of the EH group was significantly lower than that of the EA group and the control group by session 4 (p = 0.004). After session 8, the NPRS of both the EA group (p = 0.003) and the EH group (p = 0.001) were significantly lower than that of the control group. Such a difference was maintained at least up to the 1-month follow-up. Only the EA group had significant improvement in the measurement of SLR across sessions (p = 0.000). The between-group difference reached significance level in session 8 (p = 0.001) and at 1-month follow-up (p = 0.002). Posthoc tests showed that EA group had significantly greater gain than the EH group and the control group. For the RMDQ score, the improvement was statistically significant within each of the three groups over time (p = 0.000). However, the between-group difference did not reach statistical significance.
Conclusions: Our findings suggest that 4 sessions of EH treatment over 2 weeks produced significantly greater reduction in the NPRS than that of the EA or the control. However, EA produced greater improvement in SLR and reduction in RMDQ score than that of the EH and the control.
Similar articles
- The use of electro-acupuncture in conjunction with exercise for the treatment of chronic low-back pain.
Yeung CK, Leung MC, Chow DH. Yeung CK, et al. J Altern Complement Med. 2003 Aug;9(4):479-90. doi: 10.1089/107555303322284767. J Altern Complement Med. 2003. PMID: 14499023 Clinical Trial. - Effect of Electroacupuncture vs Sham Treatment on Change in Pain Severity Among Adults With Chronic Low Back Pain: A Randomized Clinical Trial.
Kong JT, Puetz C, Tian L, Haynes I, Lee E, Stafford RS, Manber R, Mackey S. Kong JT, et al. JAMA Netw Open. 2020 Oct 1;3(10):e2022787. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.22787. JAMA Netw Open. 2020. PMID: 33107921 Free PMC article. Clinical Trial. - Single or Multiple Electroacupuncture Sessions in Nonspecific Low Back Pain: Are We Low-Responders to Electroacupuncture?
de Carvalho RC, Parisi JR, Prado WA, de Araújo JE, Silva AM, Silva JRT, Silva ML. de Carvalho RC, et al. J Acupunct Meridian Stud. 2018 Apr;11(2):54-61. doi: 10.1016/j.jams.2018.02.002. Epub 2018 Feb 13. J Acupunct Meridian Stud. 2018. PMID: 29703337 Clinical Trial. - Hegu acupuncture for chronic low-back pain: a randomized controlled trial.
Yun M, Shao Y, Zhang Y, He S, Xiong N, Zhang J, Guo M, Liu D, Luo Y, Guo L, Yan J. Yun M, et al. J Altern Complement Med. 2012 Feb;18(2):130-6. doi: 10.1089/acm.2010.0779. J Altern Complement Med. 2012. PMID: 22339101 Clinical Trial.
Cited by
- Acupuncture in chronic aspecific low back pain: a Bayesian network meta-analysis.
Baroncini A, Maffulli N, Eschweiler J, Molsberger F, Klimuch A, Migliorini F. Baroncini A, et al. J Orthop Surg Res. 2022 Jun 20;17(1):319. doi: 10.1186/s13018-022-03212-3. J Orthop Surg Res. 2022. PMID: 35725480 Free PMC article. - Acupuncture for chronic nonspecific low back pain.
Mu J, Furlan AD, Lam WY, Hsu MY, Ning Z, Lao L. Mu J, et al. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2020 Dec 11;12(12):CD013814. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD013814. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2020. PMID: 33306198 Free PMC article. - Effectiveness and safety of warm needle acupuncture on chronic renal failure: Protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Huang C, Lin Y, Yang Y, Zeng F, Jiang H, Lin T, Zheng L. Huang C, et al. Medicine (Baltimore). 2020 Jan;99(2):e18706. doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000018706. Medicine (Baltimore). 2020. PMID: 31914076 Free PMC article. - Short-Term Efficacy of Pulsed Radiofrequency Thermal Stimulation on Acupoints for Chronic Low Back Pain: A Preliminary Study of a Randomized, Single-Blinded, Placebo-Controlled Trial.
Ku B, Jun M, Lee JH, Jeon YJ, Kim YM, Kang J, Lee YJ, Kim K, Heo H, Kim JU. Ku B, et al. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2018 Aug 12;2018:4510909. doi: 10.1155/2018/4510909. eCollection 2018. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2018. PMID: 30158995 Free PMC article. - Modern acupuncture-like stimulation methods: a literature review.
Jun MH, Kim YM, Kim JU. Jun MH, et al. Integr Med Res. 2015 Dec;4(4):195-219. doi: 10.1016/j.imr.2015.09.005. Epub 2015 Oct 3. Integr Med Res. 2015. PMID: 28664127 Free PMC article. Review.
Publication types
MeSH terms
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources