Acupuncture For Lower Back Pain (Does it REALLY Work?) – What The Science Says

Acupuncture for lower back pain – does it really work? If you’ve been sedentary for so long or worked at a job that requires you to sit for long hours, then you know this to be true:

Backaches can be a total pain.

And we’re not talking about the kind of discomfort that subsides after taking a pain medication. We’re talking about the kind of soreness that…

…keeps you awake at night.

…makes you unproductive at work because you can’t concentrate.

…turns your life into a miserable mess.

So if you’ve been suffering from back pain, then you must have tried pretty much every conventional treatment available, right?

Pain medications, physical therapy, cortisone injections, and in serious cases, spinal surgery—these are some methods that treat back pain caused by lifestyle and injury.

But like most treatments, they work up to a certain extent only. And if the pain persists after going through the conventional treatments available, what do you do?

The Chinese Secrets of a Lower Back Pain-Free Life

Conventional medicine can only do so much when it comes to back pain. Pop a pill here and the symptoms stop. But that’s just it—it often does not go any further and address the root of the problem.

Many people laugh at the idea of using “alternative medicine” for back pain – that is, until they’re doubled over in bed willing to try anything.

What many do not know is that Chinese medicine treats illness and pain as signs of imbalance. It doesn’t just deal with the symptoms.

So if your body is out of balance, restoring the balance will also help the pain go away.

How Acupuncture Really Helps With Lower Back Pain – According to Science

There are things that you can by yourself to relieve back pain.

Lower back pain can be due to a number of factors. Some of the time it’s due to something that can be avoided like extreme physical exertion or poor posture. Sometimes, the reason can be a lot more serious like spinal osteoarthritis and spondylosis.

Acupuncture works by providing pain relief and reducing inflammation. But perhaps the million-dollar question about acupuncture is:

Does it work?

I get asked that question a lot. And every time somebody pops that question, my answer remains the same: Yes, acupuncture works.

Here were some interesting studies done on acupuncture specifically for lower back pain.

Acupuncture For Lower Back Pain Improved Quality of Sleep and Pain Relief

A Swedish university hospital conducted a randomized, placebo-controlled study among 50 chronic low back pain patients. The patients randomly received manual acupuncture, electro-acupuncture, and mock transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation.

Of the 34 patients who received acupuncture treatment, 16 felt a significant decrease in pain and experienced an improvement in quality of sleep, return to work, and analgesic intake. ¹ 1. BH, C. (2018). Acupuncture for chronic low back pain: a randomized placebo-controlled study with long-term follow-up. - PubMed - NCBI. [online] Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11783809 [Accessed 5 Feb. 2018]. ×

Acupuncture For Lower Back Pain Show More Pain Relief, Better Quality of Life and Disability Recovery

Acupuncture was found to be effective in providing symptomatic relief of chronic low back pain in the meta-analysis of 13 randomized controlled trials. The 2,678 patients experienced better pain relief, disability recovery and quality of life compared to not having any treatment at all. ² 2. Xu M, e. (2018). Acupuncture for chronic low back pain in long-term follow-up: a meta-analysis of 13 randomized controlled trials. - PubMed - NCBI. [online] Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23336503 [Accessed 5 Feb. 2018]. ×

Acupuncture Works Better Than “Sham” Acupuncture and Medication in Relieving Pain

In 11 randomized-controlled trials, acupuncture was found to be more effective than medication and sham acupuncture in relieving pain. ³ 3. Lee JH, e. (2018). Acupuncture for acute low back pain: a systematic review. - PubMed - NCBI. [online] Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23269281 [Accessed 5 Feb. 2018]. ×

In a blinded, randomized controlled trial, 46 patients randomly undertook either acupuncture therapy or Placebo transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS). The patients went through 6 weeks of weekly treatment and were followed up after six months. Both groups showed improvements. ⁴ 4. Kerr DP, e. (2018). Acupuncture in the management of chronic low back pain: a blinded randomized controlled trial. - PubMed - NCBI. [online] Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14600536 [Accessed 5 Feb. 2018]. ×

Acupuncture Showed a 30% Decrease in The Number of Missed Days of Work (Due to Pain)

In this study, patients who suffered from chronic low back pain went through acupuncture therapy sponsored by German statutory sickness funds. Prior to treatment, the patients filled out questionnaires detailing the intensity and frequency of their pain.

In the six-month follow-up, the patients showed significant improvement in quality of life. The number of days when they experienced pain decreased by half and there was also a 30% decrease in the numbers of work days lost. ⁵ 5. Weidenhammer W, e. (2018). Acupuncture for chronic low back pain in routine care: a multicenter observational study. - PubMed - NCBI. [online] Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17237661 [Accessed 5 Feb. 2018]. ×

Sometimes, lower back pain is just a symptom of something else going haywire in your body. Acupuncture, regardless of what’s going on, can help restore the balance which will help relieve pain. What’s more, Chinese medicine looks at you as a whole person – find the “chinks” in your armor, and helps patch them up.

Have you tried using acupuncture for pain before? Did it help?