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A recent National Institutes of Health-funded clinical trial showed that acupuncture may offer significant relief for older adults suffering from chronic low back pain.
The study included 800 adults aged 65 and over from multiple healthcare systems.
Participants received either standard care, standard acupuncture with 8-15 sessions, or enhanced acupuncture with additional sessions over 12 weeks.
After 6 months, both acupuncture groups showed significant improvement in pain intensity and physical function compared to standard care. Even more encouraging, these benefits continued through the 12-month mark.
The results were achieved with needling alone, suggesting that incorporating other techniques like cupping could potentially yield even greater benefits.
For healthcare providers treating older adults with chronic back pain, these findings offer evidence for consideration of acupuncture as a safe, effective, and nonpharmacological treatment option, researchers wrote.
This content was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.
