title: Acupuncture and spinal cord medicine.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The National Institutes of Health has concluded that the potential value of acupuncture justifies expanding its use into conventional medicine and studying it further.
  
  
  METHODS
  Literature review of acupuncture as it pertains to spinal cord medicine.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Acupuncture has been used to treat a number of spinal cord injury (SCI)-related conditions, including motor deficits, pain, spasticity, and syringomyelia.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Acupuncture shows promise as an intervention in the treatment of SCI-related conditions. Further research, carried out in careful and systematic fashion by qualified practitioners of acupuncture in concert with spinal cord medicine specialists, is needed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Medical Ethics and Humanities, University of South Florida College of Medicine, Tampa, Florida 33612-4799, USA. fpaola@hsc.usf.edu
authors.forename: Frederick Adolf
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Paola
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Arnold
mesh_terms: D015670:Acupuncture Therapy; D006801:Humans; D013118:Spinal Cord Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*