Motion acupuncture helps acute lower back pain

A new type of acupuncture could help people with acute lower back pain, reports research in Pain.  Not yet available in the UK, motion acupuncture involves the patient exercising while having acupuncture needles inserted into specific acupuncture points.

A total of 58 people with acute lower back pain were split into two groups. Half received an injection of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) diclofenac. The other half were treated with a single session of motion acupuncture.

The group that received acupuncture typically found their pain decreased by an extra 3.12 points on a 10-point scale, compared with those who had an NSAID injection. And their level of disability fell by 32.95% more than the injection group. Differences between the two groups were still present four weeks after treatment.

“These results suggest that motion style acupuncture treatment has positive effects on immediate pain relief and the functional recovery of acute low back pain patients with severe disability,”  the scientists conclude.