Acupuncture for Chronic Back and Neck Pain *

Abstract

This is a preliminary report of the research in acupuncture conducted at the Rehabilitation Medicine Service of St. Luke's Hospital Center. In a controlled study, classical accepted-site acupuncture, off-site acupuncture, and conventional physical therapy were compared. Patients who were randomly assigned to these treatment conditions had chronic back or neck pain with objective findings. Improvement was evaluated by a rheumatologist, who was unaware of the type of treatment the patient received; by the treating physician; and by range of motion tests. The patients also participated in a battery of psychiatric and psychological tests including hypnotic susceptibility. Some preliminary findings of interest are: acupuncture was superior to conventional physical therapy; accepted-site acupuncture and off-site acupuncture did not differ significantly, and the score on the Hamilton Psychiatric Rating Scale for Depression accurately predicted the results of acupuncture therapy.