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Acupuncture may be more effective at relieving lower back pain than standard treatments, according to new research in the Archives of Internal Medicine. The study involved 1162 patients with an average of 50, who had suffered from lower back pain for an average of eighty years. Over six months, patients underwent 10 half-hour sessions of Chinese "verum" acupuncture (387 patients), sham acupuncture (387 patients) or conventional therapy (388 patients). During verum acupuncture, needles were inserted at fixed points to a depth of 5-40mm, while sham acupuncture consisted of inserting needles superficially, (1-3mm), avoiding all known acupuncture points. Conventional therapy was a combination of medication, physical therapy and exercise. After six months, 47.6 percent of the verum acupuncture group, 44.2 percent of the sham acupuncture group and only 27.4 percent of the conventional therapy group reported a significant improvement in pain levels. Any form of acupuncture may therefore provide effective relief from lower back pain, conclude the authors. Arch Intern Med 2007;167:1892-1898 (Haake M, et al)

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