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An American College of Physicians guideline recommends acupuncture as a first-line treatment for patients with chronic low back pain. To date, however, no randomized trial data delineate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for chronic low back pain in older adults (age, ≥65). In this U.S. multisite trial that involved 800 older adults (mean age, 74) with chronic low back pain, researchers compared acupuncture and usual care.
Participants were randomized to standard acupuncture (8–15 sessions over 12 weeks), enhanced acupuncture (standard acupuncture plus an additional 4–6 maintenance sessions during the subsequent 12 weeks), or usual medical care. Acupuncture was restricted to manual needling only (i.e., no adjuvant treatment such …