More people turn to acupuncture for back pain as study shows relief

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With nearly a quarter of all adults experiencing chronic back pain, many Americans are now seeking alternatives to opioids for meaningful relief.

A recent study, BackInAction, shows that manual acupuncture treatments can be an effective pain treatment for adults. 

The National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded study compared usual medical care such as medications or physical therapy to similar care, plus acupuncture.

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The trial included 800 men and women 65 and older with a medical history of chronic low back pain lasting at least three months. Participants were divided into three different groups - usual care only, up to 15 acupuncture treatments over three months and up to 21 acupuncture treatments - for 15 standard sessions, plus 6 maintenance sessions over six months.

Researchers found that both groups receiving acupuncture reported greater reductions in pain-related disability than the usual care group at the six- and 12-month assessments.

Other benefits of acupuncture were pain intensity reduction, an improvement of physical functions and fewer anxiety symptoms. 

Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese medicine introduced to the United States in the 1970s. 

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The technique consisted of inserting fine needles into the skin at specific anatomical grid points, according to the NIH.

Lead study author Lynn DeBar, Ph.D. said while the size of the effect was modest, it was positive and sustained. 

"Our clinical results suggest that acupuncture is working as well as many things that are more familiar to people," DeBar said in a press release.

Co-lead researcher Andrea Cook, Ph.D., said older adults are also often dealing with other medical problems in addition to back pain. 

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"Acupuncture offers a less invasive option that has a better safety profile than a lot of the common treatments for back pain in older adults," Cook said in the release. 

According to the NIH, the share of adults using acupuncture rose from 1% in 2002 to 2.2% in 2022 - more than doubling over two decades.

Over 72% of Americans who had the treatment used it for pain.