Acupuncture may relieve pain-specific disability in people with spinal stenosis

Acupuncture may relieve pain-specific disability in people with spinal stenosis

Abstract: https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/M23-2749          

URL goes live when the embargo lifts        

A randomized clinical trial across 5 hospitals in China found that acupuncture may relieve pain-specific disability among patients with degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis (DLSS) and predominantly neurogenic claudication, pain in the buttocks and/or legs that is aggravated by walking or prolonged standing. These findings are important because DLSS can result in functional limitation in daily activities as well as negative psychological effects and effective treatments are limited. The findings are published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

Researchers from Guang’anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Bejing randomly assigned 196 patients to either 18 sessions of acupuncture or sham acupuncture over 6 weeks to investigate the effect of acupuncture on pain and disability symptoms of DLSS as measured by modified Roland–Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ) score, with 24-week follow-up after treatment. There were 98 participants in each group and the mean modified RMDQ score was 12.6 in the acupuncture group and 12.7 in the sham acupuncture group at baseline. At 6 weeks, modified RMDQ score decreased to 8.1 and 9.5, respectively, meaning that acupuncture resulted in a 43.3% greater improvement in pain-specific symptoms.  According to the study authors, follow-up indicated that effects of acupuncture may last 24 weeks.

Media contacts: For an embargoed PDF, please contact Angela Collom at [email protected]. To speak with the corresponding author, Zhishun Liu, MD, PhD, please contact Yuanjie Sun at [email protected].