A small UK-New Zealand exploratory study suggests a trend of increased benefits after ten sessions of adjunctive acupuncture for lower back pain of a chronic nature. A total of 45 patients were randomly allocated to receive usual care plus either four, seven or ten acupuncture treatments. Outcome measures including back function, pain and disability, suggested that at the 12 week point, the 10 session group experienced most benefit. Over 90% of the study participants felt “very satisfied” &/or “extremely satisfied” with acupuncture treatment.
(Acupuncture for chronic low back pain: a randomized controlled feasibility trial comparing treatment session numbers. Clinical Rehabilitation, 1 April 2017.)