Electroacupuncture for Treating Chronic Low-Back Pain: Preliminary Research Results

This report, prepared by a lead researcher, describes 2 independent, but similarly designed, clinical trials that were conducted to investigate the effectiveness, mechanisms, and predictors of electroacupuncture (EA) for treating chronic low-back pain (CLBP). Both trials recruited adults (ages 21-65) who had CLBP with an intensity ≥4/10 and a duration ≥6 months. Verum EA or sham EA was administered twice per week for 6-8 weeks. The common outcome between the 2 studies was the patients' responses to the Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire. Using least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO), the authors were able to predict clinical outcome in the second study by using a prediction model based on data from the first study. This work demonstrated the feasibility of predicting clinical outcomes when using acupuncture for treating CLBP.