New research shows acupuncture and manipulation are cost effective for low back pain.
30/08/2011 23:32:12
In two new research studies, it has been shown that acupuncture and manipulation are cost effective treatments for low back pain.(1;2) In the first study, which was looking at guideline-endorsed treatments for lower back pain(LBP), the authors searched nine clinical and economic electronic databases and the reference list of relevant systematic reviews and included 26 eligible studies. Based on these data, the authors state that "Most studies found that interdisciplinary rehabilitation, exercise, acupuncture, spinal manipulation or cognitive-behavioural therapy were cost-effective in people with sub-acute or chronic LBP."(1)
In the second study, which was evaluating general practice care, the authors found nine eligible studies. Based on their findings, they state that, "When costs were considered from the societal perspective …. that acupuncture was dominant compared with usual GP care alone."(2) Moreover, "Adding spinal manipulation to guideline-based GP care was effective in managing sub-acute to chronic LBP".(2)
References
(1) Lin CW, Haas M, Maher CG, Machado LA, van Tulder MW.
Cost-effectiveness of guideline-endorsed treatments for low back
pain: a systematic review. Eur Spine J 2011 Jan 13.
(2) Lin CW, Haas M, Maher CG, Machado LA, van Tulder MW.
Cost-effectiveness of general practice care for low back pain: a
systematic review. Eur Spine J 2011 Jan 4.