Abstract
A major cause of disability globally, chronic low back pain (CLBP) disproportionately impacts women throughout the perimenopausal transition, a time of hormonal changes that may impact musculoskeletal health and pain perception. The purpose of this study was to assess how well acupuncture works for perimenopausal women, aged 35–60 years, with persistent low back pain in terms of lowering pain intensity, improving functional impairment, and improving quality of life. A total of 120 individuals who satisfied the inclusion requirements participated in a parallel-group randomized controlled study. An acupuncture intervention group (n = 60) or a control group (n = 60) receiving traditional management was assigned at random to the participants. For 6 weeks, the control group was given analgesic medicine and physiotherapy coaching, while the acupuncture group received standardized treatment twice a week. The VAS for pain intensity, the Oswestry disability index (ODI) for functional disability, and the WHOQOL-BREF for quality of life were used to measure outcomes at baseline, Week 6, and Week 12. Independent t-tests and ANOVA were used to analyze the data, with a significance level of p < 0.05. The results showed a considerable impact size and a statistically significant decrease in pain intensity in the acupuncture group when compared to the control group. Functional disability ratings significantly improved, and both the physical and psychological aspects of quality of life showed significant improvements. Improvements persisted at the 12-week mark. There were no significant adverse effects noted. According to the results, acupuncture is a useful supplemental treatment for perimenopausal CLBP.
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