/ Health Concerns / Musculoskeletal & Pain

Chronic Lower Back Pain

Overview

Acupuncture has been evaluated as a treatment option for chronic lower back pain. In the Australian Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA) review (2010), acupuncture was rated as effective for Lower back pain.

When distinguishing between chronic and acute low back pain, the recent review by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality revealed evidence supporting the effectiveness of acupuncture in chronic low back pain, addressing both pain intensity and function.

A systematic review of 32 randomized controlled trials focused on chronic non-specific low back pain demonstrated that acupuncture was statistically and clinically superior in reducing pain and improving function immediately after treatment. Additionally, while acupuncture showed equivalent outcomes to usual care for pain and function, the combination of acupuncture with usual care was found to be superior to usual care alone.

In another systematic review of 11 randomized controlled trials on acute low back pain, acupuncture was found to be more effective than NSAIDs for symptom improvement. A narrative review of non-invasive and alternative treatments for chronic low back pain rated the evidence for acupuncture's effectiveness as high, with acupressure rated as moderate.

Finally, a review of 16 systematic reviews concluded that acupuncture, whether used alone or in conjunction with usual care, provides short-term improvement in pain and function for chronic low back pain, suggesting it "should be advocated in routine clinical practice." Additionally, two studies indicated that acupuncture is likely to be cost-effective for treating low back pain and chronic non-specific low back pain.