Four out of five adults will experience back pain at some time in their life, and treating it costs the NHS an estimated £480 million per year. Many patients also turn to complementary therapies, including acupuncture, for help. There is clear agreement over the need for a stronger evidence base for acupuncture.

The YACBAC study is an open, pragmatic trial, designed to measure the relative cost effectiveness of providing an acupuncture service in a real world setting This design will not provide a definitive answer to the question “does acupuncture work?” instead it aims to answer the more practical, policy-relevant question of whether an acupuncture service, receiving referrals from GPs, offers additional benefit to patients with low back pain when compared to conventional management.