Acupuncture needles can improve back pain for those suffering from long term lumbar problems. However, the research team that conducted this study also found that simulated acupuncture - the use of toothpicks pressed against the skin to suggest acupuncture needles have been used - also resulted in positive effects on the back pain sufferer.

Acupuncture works, but so does the placebo

The study used toothpicks as a way of suggesting to back pain sufferers that acupuncture needles were used. But in some cases - those who didnt receive acupuncture treatment but instead received simulated acupuncture - this didnt happen. Neverthesless all those patients who received either the acupuncture treatment or the simulated acupuncture reported improved levels of back pain, whereas the control group - who received niether the acupuncture or the simulated acupuncture - reported no change in the level of their lower back pain.

The study

10 acupuncture sessions that were tailored to them individually

• 10 acupuncture sessions that arent tailored, but instead followed a standard approach for low back pain
• 10 sessions of simulated acupuncture, which involved applying a toothpick inside a needle-guide tube to acupuncture points, to mimic insertion, stimulation and removal of needles
• Usual care provided by a GP, with no real or simulated acupuncture added.

Both acupuncture and simulated acupuncture patients wore eye mask to conceal which treatment they were receiving.

The results

After eight weeks:

• 60 percent of people who had real or simulated acupuncture had improvements in how much activity they could do, compared with only 39 percent of those receiving usual care
• Pain scores improved by 1.6 to 1.9 points in people who had real or simulated acupuncture, compared with 0.7 points for those receiving usual care.

After one year:

• 59 percent to 65 percent of people who\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'d received real or simulated acupuncture had improvements in how much they could do, compared with 50 percent in the usual care group. There was no significant difference between the groups in pain scores.

What does this mean for sufferers of lower back pain?

The study did show that acupuncture did have a positive effect on those who received treatment. However, bear in mind that the placebo worked just as well - suggesting that the patients thought that acupuncture would work and so they perceived that it had worked after the course of treatment, regardless whether they received real acupuncture or simulated acupuncture.