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(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- A new study reveals acupuncture can offer much-needed relief to patients with low back pain.

Researchers from the University of Regensburg in Germany conducted a large randomized trial where 1,162 patients with low back pain received one of three treatments: verum acupuncture, sham acupuncture or standard treatment for low back pain. Patients in the study had been suffering from low back pain for an average of eight years.

The treatments were given as 10 30-minute sessions, averaging two treatments a week. Verum acupuncture, based on traditional Chinese medicine, consists of needling fixed points and additional points to a depth of 5 millimeters to 40 millimeters. In the sham acupuncture, needles were inserted superficially at a depth of 1 millimeter to 3 millimeters, avoiding all known verum points. Patients who received standard treatment got a combination of medication, physical therapy and exercise.

To qualify as an effective response, there had to be at least a 33-percent improvement in pain. Results of the study show 47.6 percent of patients who got the verum acupuncture achieved that response rate, while 44.2 percent of patients on the sham acupuncture had an effective response. In contrast, just 27.4 percent of patients who received the standard treatment had that kind of improvement.

Authors of the study write, Low back pain improved after acupuncture treatment for at least six months. Effectiveness of acupuncture, either verum or sham, was almost twice that of conventional therapy.

Researchers conclude, Acupuncture constitutes a strong therapy alternative to multimodal conventional therapy. Acupuncture gives physicians a promising and effective treatment option for chronic low back pain, with few adverse effects or contraindications.

This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, which offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, click on: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.