Healthy Lifestyle Radio Storytime

Within a year, almost half the population, back pain at some point in time. Back pain is diagnosed most frequently given as the reason why employees are sick. Fortunately, the pain usually disappears within a few days or weeks. Bad backs are still responsible for 15 percent of long-term messages and 10 percent of disability benefits. Back problems causing so much suffering for many and high costs for society. It is therefore important to determine which treatment works best.

In a recently completed study has evaluated the usefulness of acupuncture. 638 persons aged 18-70 years participated. All had had back pain last 3 to 12 months. They were divided into four groups and received one of the following treatments.

• Personalized acupuncture
• Standard treatment with acupuncture
• inactive acupuncture, which consisted of careful stick with a toothpick without creating holes in the skin
• General advice on back pain

All participants received additional information about events and activities they could do to alleviate the symptoms. Acupuncture treatments, both the real and the ineffective, was given twice a week for three weeks and then once weekly for ten weeks.

Participants were interviewed after six months and one year. It turned out that almost all had improved and that there was no significant difference between the four groups. The results of this study suggest that what may help most is to take the time to help and live as normally as possible. Treatment with acupuncture did not seem to alleviate or accelerate healing.

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