Acupuncturefor back pain is a complementary therapy that’s often used alongside more conventional medical treatments.
Fear of Needles?
That said, more high-quality acupuncture research is needed.
miljko / Getty Images
How Many Sessions Do I Need for Therapeutic Relief?
A typicalacupuncture sessioninvolves puncturing the skin with anywhere from five to 20 needles.
People usually have between one and three, 1530 minute weekly sessions for 612 weeks to get therapeutic relief.
People with back pain may feel immediate (but not long-lasting) pain reduction after one treatment.
Many health insurance plans will cover numerous acupuncture sessions in a calendar year.
However, there was no evidence of long-term benefits eight weeks after treatment sessions completely stopped.
On average, an acupuncture session lasts about 30 minutes.
Many people feel energized after an acupuncture session and experience immediate back pain relief soon after removing the needles.
Hygiene and sanitary conditions should be top of mind when choosing an acupuncture practitioner.
Never select an acupuncturist flagged for uncleanliness or unsanitary conditions in their reviews.
Summary
Acupuncture can temporarily alleviate back pain.
Acupuncture is safe and often covered by health insurance.
2015;2015:1-18. doi:10.1155/2015/328196
Acupuncture Massage College.Early history of acupuncture in America.
Jishun J, Mittelman M.Acupuncture: past, present, and future.Glob Adv Health Med.
Published online August 10, 2023:acu.2023.0054.
2014;8(1):4. doi:10.1186/1751-0759-8-4
Gabriella H.Biomedical effects of acupuncture.IJCAM.
2015;2(1).
doi:10.15406/ijcam.2015.02.00048
DENG S, ZHAO X, DU R, et al.Is acupuncture no more than a placebo?
Extensive discussion required about possible bias.Exp Ther Med.
2015;10(4):1247-1252. doi:10.3892/etm.2015.2653
Kaptchuk TJ.Placebo effects in acupuncture.Medical Acupuncture.
2014;6(2):234-243. doi:10.1016/j.eujim.2014.03.004
Mayo Clinic.Acupuncture.
Review and analysis of randomized controlled trials.Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine.
2021;11(9):e045961.
2021;4(9):e2121418.
2018;5(3):63. doi:10.3390/medicines5030063
