Focus on Alternative and Complementary Therapies
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Focus Alternat Complement Ther©2005 Pharmaceutical Press
Focus Altern Complement Ther 2006; 11: 31
The purpose of this study is to describe and analyse the effectiveness of acupuncture commonly used by Koreans with low back pain (LBP).
The published studies were identified by searching the following Korean electronic databases: the Research Information Service System, Korean-Studies Information Service System, Korean National Assembly Library, and the Korean Oriental Medical Society. Search terms included ‘back pain’, ‘low back pain’, ‘lumbago’, ‘backache’, and ‘acupuncture’ in English and Korean.
Acupuncture intervention varied: body acupuncture, electroacupuncture, Dongsi acupuncture, Sa-am acupuncture, Eight constitution acupuncture, auricular acupuncture, hand acupuncture, and pharmacopunc-ture including bee venom injection. Eighteen trials were conducted with subjects with HLIVD, and the other trials included subjects with various diagnoses of LBP. In 23 trials, acupuncture was given with other adjunctive therapies, including Korean herbal medicine, cupping, moxibustion, Tuina, physical therapies and exercise, while five trials were conducted with acupuncture alone. A variety of outcome measures were used: VAS for pain, symptom improvement index, patient satisfaction and disability index for subjective assessment, and straight leg raise test and range of movement for objective assessment. Most of the studies claim that the acupuncture interventions tested in their studies were effective in pain relief and function improvement.
Most of the trials resulted in positive outcomes in subjective and objective outcome measurements after acupuncture intervention. However, further studies need to apply systematical methodological research tools to determine the effectiveness of acupuncture treatment for LBP in Koreans.
