Acupuncture for Chronic Pain
Archives of Internal MedicinePublished 7 September 2012Open access
Andrew J. Vickers, Angel M. Cronin, Alexandra C. Maschino, George Lewith, Hugh MacPherson, Nadine E. Foster
Citations953
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TL;DR
Acupuncture is effective for the treatment of chronic pain and is therefore a reasonable referral option, and significant differences between true and sham acupuncture indicate that acupuncture is more than a placebo.
Abstract
Acupuncture is effective for the treatment of chronic pain and is therefore a reasonable referral option. Significant differences between true and sham acupuncture indicate that acupuncture is more than a placebo. However, these differences are relatively modest, suggesting that factors in addition to the specific effects of needling are important contributors to the therapeutic effects of acupuncture.
Keywords
MedicineNeuroscience
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64 Citations2010Andrew J. Vickers, Angel M. Cronin +7 more
Individual patient data meta-analysis of high-quality trials will provide the most reliable basis for treatment decisions about acupuncture and can serve as a model for future studies in acupuncture and other complementary therapies.
Chinese MedicineA pilot study on using acupuncture and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) to treat knee osteoarthritis (OA)
64 Citations2008Kazunori Itoh, Satoko Hirota +3 more
CephalalgiaRole of the Needling <i>per se</i> in Acupuncture as Prophylaxis for Menstrually Related Migraine: A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Study
64 Citations2004Mattias Linde, Anders M. Fjell +2 more
A new method for controlled trials of acupuncture in the field of headache research and the role of needling per se is introduced, validated as practical, hygienic and extremely durable.
European Journal of PainThe effect of electroacupuncture on opioid‐like medication consumption by chronic pain patients: A pilot randomized controlled clinical trial
63 Citations2007Zhen Zheng, Runxiang J. Guo +4 more
In conclusion, REA demonstrates promising short‐term reduction of OLM for participants with chronic non‐malignant pain, but such effect needs to be confirmed by trials with adequate sample sizes.
The Journal of Alternative and Complementary MedicineThe Effectiveness of Electroacupuncture Versus Electrical Heat Acupuncture in the Management of Chronic Low-Back Pain
51 Citations2004Margaret L.K. Tsui, Gladys L.Y. Cheing
The findings suggest that 4 sessions of EH treatment over 2 weeks produced significantly greater reduction in the NPRS than that of the EA or the control, however, EA produced greater improvement in SLR and reduction in RMDQ score than that in the EH and the control.
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