Ap for acute LBP

[Guest guest]

Here's an interesting study they're doing: four branches (semi-standardized

AP, sham AP, placebo AP and conventional treatment).

 

http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6882/6/14/abstract

 

Efficacy and safety of acupuncture for the treatment of non-specific acute

low back pain: a randomised controlled multicentre trial protocol

[iSRCTN65814467]

Jorge Vas , Emilio Perea-Milla , Camila Mendez , Luis Carlos Silva , Antonia

Herrera Galante , Jose Manuel Aranda Regules , Dulce M Martinez Barquin ,

Inmaculada Aguilar and Vicente Faus

 

BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2006, 6:14 doi:10

1186/1472-6882-6-14

 

Published 21 April 2006

 

 

Abstract (provisional)

 

 

Background

Low back pain and its associated incapacitating effects constitute an

important healthcare and socioeconomic problem, as well as being one of the

main causes of disability among adults of working age. The prevalence of

non-specific low back pain is very high among the general population, and

60-70% of adults are believed to have suffered this problem at some time.

Nevertheless, few randomised clinical trials have been made of the efficacy

and efficiency of acupuncture with respect to acute low back pain. The

present study is intended to assess the efficacy of acupuncture for acute

low back pain in terms of the improvement reported on the Roland Morris

Questionnaire (RMQ) on low back pain incapacity, to estimate the specific

and non-specific effects produced by the technique, and to carry out a

cost-effectiveness analysis.

Methods

Randomised four-branch controlled multicentre prospective study made to

compare semi-standardised real acupuncture, sham acupuncture (acupuncture at

non-specific points), placebo acupuncture and conventional treatment. The

patients are blinded to the real, sham and placebo acupuncture treatments.

Patients in the sample present symptoms of non specific acute low back pain,

with a case history of 2 weeks or less, and will be selected from

working-age patients, whether in paid employment or not, referred by General

Practitioners from Primary Healthcare Clinics to the four clinics

participating in this study. In order to assess the primary and secondary

result measures, the patients will be requested to fill in a questionnaire

before the randomisation and again at 3, 12 and 48 weeks after starting the

treatment. The primary result measure will be the clinical relevant

improvement (CRI) at 3 weeks after randomisation. We define CRI as a

reduction of 35% or more in the RMQ results.

Discussion

This study is intended to obtain further evidence on the effectiveness of

acupuncture on acute low back pain and to isolate the specific and

non-specific effects of the treatment.