A pilot study looking at two different frequencies of treatment by acupuncture for chronic lower back pain, has found that improvements achieved within the first two weeks, were still present at one year follow-up.
Thirty participants with chronic lower back pain were randomly allocated to two groups to receive ten acupuncture treatments: the low frequency group received two treatments per week for five weeks, whilst the high frequency group received five treatments per week for two weeks. No significant differences were found between the groups in terms of measured outcomes, but clinically important improvements in pain, disability and quality of life, were achieved in both groups within the first fortnight, and were maintained at follow-up one year later.
(Different Frequencies of Acupuncture Treatment for Chronic Low Back Pain: An Assessor-Blinded Pilot Randomised Controlled Trial. Complementary Therapies in Medicine, June 2009.)
Author: Robin Costello
I offer traditional Chinese acupuncture in Exeter, from a tranquil clinic a mile from the city centre, and next to the University of Exeter. I graduated originally from the London School of Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine’s 3 year full time Acupuncture Diploma (DipAc) course. I am on the practitioners register of the British Acupuncture Council (MBAcC), a regulatory and professional body with an entry standard of a full three year undergraduate degree level training.
I have worked in a hospital in south west China, deepening my knowledge and using acupuncture and Chinese massage (tuina) as the treatment of choice in its country of origin. I have taught Chinese medicine in colleges, the NHS and at university level. I also practise Qi Gong, and Chinese dietary therapy, that is the medicinal use of ordinary foods, chosen to help achieve particular therapeutic effects in different individuals.
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