Acupuncture shows promise for back pain in older adults, study finds

By HPN Staff

There’s promising news for older adults struggling with chronic back pain. New research backed by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) suggests acupuncture may be a safe, effective option for managing lower back pain.

Acupuncture, rooted in traditional Chinese medicine, is built on the idea that energy, or “qi,” flows through 12 pathways in the body, according to Harvard Medical School. Practitioners insert fine needles at specific points along those pathways, which research suggests can relieve pain by triggering endorphin release. It may also affect brain chemicals linked to mood, including serotonin.

Why it matters

Lower back pain remains the leading cause of disability worldwide and affects roughly one-third of adults in the United States, according to the NIH. Medicare currently covers acupuncture for chronic lower back pain, while private insurance coverage varies. 

With physicians and policymakers searching for alternatives to opioids, interest in treatments like acupuncture has grown. Chronic pain costs the U.S. economy an estimated $565 billion to $675 billion annually. While opioids are effective for short-term pain management, their addictive nature and widespread misuse have fueled a national epidemic of abuse, overdoses, and deaths.

The 800-participant study, which included men and women older than 65 with a history of lower back pain, collected self-reported disability data from participants whose treatment plans either included or excluded acupuncture.

“Of the different treatments we have for chronic low back pain, most have a somewhat modest effect. They often reduce pain by about a third at best and can help people function better,” said lead author Lynn L. DeBar, Ph.D., Kaiser Permanente distinguished investigator involved in the study. “Our clinical results suggest that acupuncture is working as well as many things that are more familiar to people. We found that the size of this effect, while modest, was positive and sustained.”

The big picture 

Researchers and physicians caution, however, that the findings, as with any study, have limitations. Acupuncture techniques can vary by practitioner, and designing a true placebo control group is difficult. 

Outcomes may also depend on patient expectations and individual variation, said Andrew Bach, DO, a physiatrist at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles.

The study also found very few adverse effects from the treatment and that it was less invasive than more common methods.  

“The researchers also reported that acupuncture treatment was associated with fewer anxiety symptoms as compared to usual medical care alone at the six and 12-month assessments,” the study said.