Hegu acupuncture for chronic low-back pain: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND Acupuncture has long been employed for the treatment of chronic low back pain (CLBP). However, very few studies have characterized the effectiveness of the different acupuncture modes for CLBP. METHODS In total, 187 patients with CLBP participated in this study. Eligible patients were randomized to Hegu acupuncture, Standard acupuncture, or Usual Care groups. Eighteen (18) treatments were provided over 7 weeks. Back-related dysfunction and symptom severity were assessed by the Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ) and the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), which were collected at baseline and at 8 and 48 weeks after beginning the treatment. Repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) was employed for factorial analyses. RESULTS Significant differences were found between follow-up and the baseline scores (p<0.05). The Hegu acupuncture group had higher RMDQ scores (8 weeks, 5.3 versus 2.1; 48 weeks, 5.7 versus 3.3; p<0.001 for both) and VAS scores (8 weeks, 1.5 versus 0.5; 48 weeks, 2.6 versus 1.6; p<0.001 for both) compared with the usual care group. The standardized acupuncture group also had higher RMDQ scores (8 weeks, 4.2 versus 2.1; 48 weeks, 4.6 versus 3.3, p<0.001 for both) and VAS scores (8 weeks, 1.3 versus 0.5; 48 weeks, 2.4 versus 1.6, p<0.001 for both) compared with the Usual Care group. The Hegu group had higher RMDQ scores (8 weeks, p<0.05; 48 weeks, p<0.001) and VAS scores (48 weeks, p<0.05) compared with the standardized group. There was a significant difference between the Hegu and standardized acupuncture groups in repeated-measures ANOVA (p<0.05). Across the three testing points, significant differences were found in the RMDQ and VAS scores between the usual care group and both treatment groups (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS Both acupuncture modes have beneficial and persistent effectiveness against CLBP compared with the usual care group; Hegu acupuncture is significantly more effective than standardized acupuncture, especially in the long term.