title: Hegu acupuncture for chronic low-back pain: a randomized controlled trial.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Acupuncture has long been employed for the treatment of chronic low back pain (CLBP). However, very few studies have characterized the effectiveness of the different acupuncture modes for CLBP.
  
  
  METHODS
  In total, 187 patients with CLBP participated in this study. Eligible patients were randomized to Hegu acupuncture, Standard acupuncture, or Usual Care groups. Eighteen (18) treatments were provided over 7 weeks. Back-related dysfunction and symptom severity were assessed by the Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ) and the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), which were collected at baseline and at 8 and 48 weeks after beginning the treatment. Repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) was employed for factorial analyses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Significant differences were found between follow-up and the baseline scores (p<0.05). The Hegu acupuncture group had higher RMDQ scores (8 weeks, 5.3 versus 2.1; 48 weeks, 5.7 versus 3.3; p<0.001 for both) and VAS scores (8 weeks, 1.5 versus 0.5; 48 weeks, 2.6 versus 1.6; p<0.001 for both) compared with the usual care group. The standardized acupuncture group also had higher RMDQ scores (8 weeks, 4.2 versus 2.1; 48 weeks, 4.6 versus 3.3, p<0.001 for both) and VAS scores (8 weeks, 1.3 versus 0.5; 48 weeks, 2.4 versus 1.6, p<0.001 for both) compared with the Usual Care group. The Hegu group had higher RMDQ scores (8 weeks, p<0.05; 48 weeks, p<0.001) and VAS scores (48 weeks, p<0.05) compared with the standardized group. There was a significant difference between the Hegu and standardized acupuncture groups in repeated-measures ANOVA (p<0.05). Across the three testing points, significant differences were found in the RMDQ and VAS scores between the usual care group and both treatment groups (p<0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Both acupuncture modes have beneficial and persistent effectiveness against CLBP compared with the usual care group; Hegu acupuncture is significantly more effective than standardized acupuncture, especially in the long term.
authors.affiliation: Chengdu Military General Hospital, Chengdu, Sichuan, PR China.
authors.forename: Mingdong
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yun
authors.forename: Yongcong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shao
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Sheng
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Na
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Xiong
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Mingyang
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Defang
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: Lingling
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Jiao
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yan
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D015670:Acupuncture Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002908:Chronic Disease; D006233:Persons with Disabilities; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010147:Pain Measurement; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D059039:Standard of Care; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult