Acupuncture Beneficial for Chronic Low Back Pain in Older Adults

THURSDAY, Sept. 18, 2025 (HealthDay News) — For older adults with chronic low back pain (CLBP), acupuncture is associated with improved CLBP-related disability and benefits in pain intensity compared with usual medical care (UMC), according to a study published online Sept. 12 in JAMA Network Open.

Lynn L. DeBar, Ph.D., M.P.H., from the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research in Portland, Oregon, and colleagues examined the effectiveness of standard acupuncture (SA) or SA plus maintenance (enhanced acupuncture [EA]) to improve CLBP-related disability relative to UMC in a multisite, three-arm, parallel-group trial of 800 older adults with CLBP.

The researchers found that the Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ) change scores were significantly better at six months in both the SA and EA groups compared with the UMC-only group (adjusted mean differences, –1.0 and –1.5 for SA and EA versus UMC, respectively); no significant difference was seen in the SA and EA change scores. At 12 months, the relative benefit of acupuncture compared with UMC on disability persisted. A relative benefit in pain intensity was seen for EA over SA at six months; both acupuncture groups had significant improvement over UMC. At six months, the adjusted percentage with clinically meaningful improvement in RMDQ was greater for SA and EA versus UMC (adjusted relative risks, 1.33 [95 percent confidence interval (CI), 1.04 to 1.70] and 1.49 [95 percent CI, 1.19 to 1.86], respectively) and persisted at 12 months. Similarly low rates of serious adverse events were seen between the groups, with less than 1 percent possibly related to acupuncture.

“These findings support acupuncture needling as an effective and safe treatment option for older adults with CLBP,” the authors write.

Several authors disclosed ties to relevant organizations.

Abstract/Full Text