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Cited by 264Acupuncture Treatment Research StudiesMusculoskeletal pain and rehabilitationMyofascial pain diagnosis and treatment

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 30 of the 32 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

The Effectiveness of Acupuncture in the Management of Acute and Chronic Low Back Pain: A Systematic Review Within the Framework of the Cochrane Collaboration Back Review Group

van Tulder, Maurits W., Cherkin, Daniel C., Berman, Brian, Lao, Lixing, Koes, Bart W.·1999·Spine
DOI 10.1097/00007632-199906010-00011
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Abstract

STUDY DESIGN: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the efficacy and effectiveness of acupuncture for the management of nonspecific low back pain. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Acupuncture is one of the oldest forms of therapy, but little is known about the effectiveness of acupuncture for low back pain. METHODS: Randomized controlled trials were done to assess the effectiveness of all types of acupuncture treatment, which involves needling for subjects with nonspecific low back pain. Two reviewers blinded with respect to authors, institution, and journal independently assessed the methodologic quality of the studies. Because data were statistically and clinically too heterogeneous, a qualitative review was performed. The evidence was classified into four levels: strong, moderate, limited, or no evidence. RESULTS: Eleven randomized controlled trials were included. Overall, the methodologic quality was low. Only two studies met the preset "high quality" level for this review. No study clearly evaluated acupuncture for acute low back pain. The results indicate that there was no evidence showing acupuncture to be more effective than no treatment. There was moderate evidence indicating that acupuncture is not more effective than trigger-point injection or transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, and there was limited evidence that acupuncture is not more effective than placebo or sham acupuncture for the management of chronic low back pain. CONCLUSIONS: Because this systematic review did not clearly indicate that acupuncture is effective in the management of back pain, the authors would not recommend acupuncture as a regular treatment for patients with low back pain. There clearly is a need for more high-quality randomized controlled trials.

Overview

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Registry

Crossref · 10.1097/00007632-199906010-00011

Cites

30 of 30 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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Citations

Cites

Show all 32 references

Research works printed but not linked: 9

  1. Duplan, 1983, La Semaine des Hôpitaux de Paris, 59, 3109
  2. Hackett, 1988, Practitioner, 232, 163
  3. Li, 1994, Rhumatologie, 46, 11
  4. Lopacz, 1979, Neurol Neurochir Pol, 8, 405
  5. MacDonald, 1983, Ann Royal Coll Surg Engl, 65, 44
  6. Mendelson, 1978, Clin Exp Neurol, 15, 182
  7. Spitzer, 1987, Spine, 7, 1
  8. von Mencke, 1988, Akupunktur, 4, 204
  9. von Mencke, 1989, Akupunktur, 5, 5

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Metadata

Authors
van Tulder, M. W., Cherkin, D. C., Berman, B., Lao, L., & Koes, B. W.
Affiliations
University of Maryland, Baltimore (US)
Corresponding author
Koes, Bart W.
ORCID
Venue
Spine
Publisher
Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health)
Published
1999-06
Volume
24
Issue
11
Pages
1113-1123
ISSN
0362-2436 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1097/00007632-199906010-00011
OpenAlex
W2102326175
Cited by
264
References
32
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 2 · 2016: 9 · 2015: 7 · 2014: 5 · 2013: 7 · 2012: 9
FWCI
44.83
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Spine (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • EUR Research Repository (Erasmus University Rotterdam) (submittedVersion)
  • The HKU Scholars Hub (University of Hong Kong) (submittedVersion)
  • VU Research Portal (submittedVersion)
  • Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Complementary and alternative medicine › Acupuncture Treatment Research Studies
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › Physical Therapy, Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation › Musculoskeletal pain and rehabilitation
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › Physical Therapy, Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation › Myofascial pain diagnosis and treatment
Keywords
acupuncture, low back pain, non-specific low back pain, chronic low back pain, acute low back pain, treatment effectiveness, sham acupuncture, placebo, trigger point injection, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, methodological quality of trials
MeSH terms
Acute Disease, Humans, Research Design, Acupuncture Analgesia, Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic, Databases, Factual, Treatment Outcome, Low Back Pain

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