Experiments confirm that acupuncture is truly effective in improving sciatica



Acupuncture is a treatment that uses specialized needles to stimulate specific parts of the body, and is popular in East Asian countries, including Japan. A new study comparing a group that received real acupuncture with a group that received sham acupuncture confirmed that acupuncture can indeed help improve sciatica .

Acupuncture vs Sham Acupuncture for Chronic Sciatica From Herniated Disk: A Randomized Clinical Trial | Complementary and Alternative Medicine | JAMA Internal Medicine | JAMA Network
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/article-abstract/2825064



Acupuncture really works for sciatica pain, study finds | Live Science
https://www.livescience.com/health/acupuncture-really-works-for-sciatica-pain-study-finds

Acupuncture has a long history as a traditional medicine, and in Japan, it is necessary to obtain a national license to perform the treatment, but in today's world where Western medicine has developed, some people are skeptical of its effectiveness. Therefore, a Chinese research team conducted an experiment to verify the effectiveness of 'real acupuncture' and 'sham acupuncture' on patients with sciatica.

Sciatica is a condition in which the sciatic nerve , the largest nerve in the body, is irritated, causing symptoms such as pain, numbness, and weakness in the lower back and lower back. Patients with sciatica are generally prescribed painkillers, and some patients undergo epidural block therapy , in which a local anesthetic is injected around the spinal cord, or surgery to remove the area compressing the nerve. In addition, physical therapy, icing, stretching, and other methods may be used to try to improve symptoms.

However, despite the wide range of options, sciatica treatments can be unsuccessful. This may be because less invasive treatment options are not always effective, and many patients are hesitant to undergo more invasive treatments such as epidural block therapy or surgery. Acupuncture is also an option for treating sciatica, but there have been no solid research studies on its effectiveness.



The research team recruited 220 patients with sciatica due to

herniated discs . The patients had moderate to severe sciatica, had been diagnosed by a spine specialist, had no other spinal or neurological disorders, were not taking any medications, and had not received acupuncture treatment within the past year.

The subjects were divided into two groups, 110 each, one for 10 real acupuncture treatments and one for 10 fake acupuncture treatments, and the treatments were carried out over a four-week period at six hospitals in China. The subjects were not told whether they were receiving real or fake acupuncture. In addition, the needles were placed in 'non-acupuncture points' that are thought to have no therapeutic effect, and most of the needles were not inserted except for one needle to create the illusion of receiving real acupuncture.

The researchers surveyed participants before starting treatment, and then two and four weeks after starting treatment, and again eight, 26 and 52 weeks after the end of each treatment session to assess leg and back pain, as well as their sleep quality and ability to carry out everyday tasks such as lifting objects.



The results showed that both the real and sham acupuncture groups experienced reduced pain levels and improved daily functioning. Furthermore, the real acupuncture group performed better than the sham acupuncture group in all areas, and the differences between the two groups remained statistically significant 52 weeks after the start of treatment.

Possible reasons why the treatment was effective in the group receiving sham acupuncture include

the placebo effect , which caused people to believe they were receiving treatment, or the possibility that their condition improved naturally over time.

No side effects serious enough to require medical treatment occurred in either group, but 24 percent of participants in the real acupuncture group experienced minor bleeding or bruising, while only 4.6 percent of participants in the sham acupuncture group reported any side effects.

Although the results of this study only compared 'real acupuncture' with 'sham acupuncture,' and not with other treatments such as painkillers or surgery, the research team concluded that their findings suggest that acupuncture should be considered as a treatment for patients with sciatica caused by herniated discs.



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