A review of ten different trials has concluded that there is evidence that acupuncture can relieve chronic neck pain. Different trials found that:
1. Acupuncture offered better pain relief than sham Tens or sham laser or sham acupuncture (needles inserted in unsuitable locations).
2. Acupuncture provided better pain relief than just waiting.
3. Acupuncture provided better pain relief than massage.
(Trinh KV et al. Acupuncture for neck disorders. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2006, Issue 3. Art. No. CD004870).
Acupuncture for Neck Pain
This very large German study compared the effects of fifteen acupuncture treatments over three months with no acupuncture in the treatment of chronic neck pain (longer than six months). 1,753 patients were randomly allocated to receive acupuncture and 1,698 to the non-acupuncture control group, and a further 10,395 patients rejected randomisation and elected to receive acupuncture. At the end of the three-month treatment period, chronic pain and disability scores and quality of life scores improved significantly in both acupuncture groups compared to controls, with no significant differences between the randomised and non-randomised acupuncture groups.
(11th Annual Symposium on Complementary Health Care 2004).
Acupuncture Effective for Chronic Neck Pain
A small Norwegian study has found that acupuncture can have significant long term effects in reducing neck pain. 24 female office workers with chronic neck and shoulder pain were randomly assigned to receive acupuncture to either true points or to non-points. All received 10 treatments over a 3-week period. The pain intensity had fallen by 70% in the true acupuncture group after treatment and remained at about half of its original severity 3 years later. The pain in the sham acupuncture group fell slightly by the end of treatment, whilst 3 years later they reported more severe pain than at original assessment. The true acupuncture group also showed a reduction in associated headaches which also lasted for 3 years.
