BBC NEWS | Health | Needles 'are best for back = pain'

A German team found almost half the patients treated with acupuncture = felt=20 pain relief.=20

But the Archives of Internal Medicine study also suggests sham = acupuncture=20 works nearly as well as the real thing.=20

In contrast, only about a quarter who received drugs and other = Western=20 therapies felt better.=20

The researchers, from the Ruhr University Bochum, say their findings = suggest=20 that the body may react positively to any thin needle prick - or that=20 acupuncture may simply trigger a placebo effect.=20

One theory is that pain messages to the brain can be blocked by = competing=20 stimuli.=20

Researcher Dr Heinz Endres said: "Acupuncture represents a highly = promising=20 and effective treatment option for chronic back pain.=20

"Patients experienced not only reduced pain intensity, but also = reported=20 improvements in the disability that often results from back pain and = therefore=20 in their quality of life."=20

Needles not manipulated

More than 1,100 patients took part in the study. They were given = either=20 conventional therapy, acupuncture or a sham version.=20

Although needles were used in the sham therapy, they were not = inserted as=20 deeply as in standard acupuncture. Neither were they inserted at points = thought=20 key to producing a therapeutic effect, or manipulated and rotated once = in=20 position.=20

After six months 47% of patients in the acupuncture group reported a=20 significant improvement in pain symptoms, compared to 44% in the sham = group, and=20 just 27% in the group who received conventional therapy.=20

Dr James Young, of Chicago's Rush University, said: "We don't = understand the=20 mechanisms of these so-called alternative treatments, but that doesn't = mean they=20 don't work."=20

Acupuncture is based on the ancient Chinese theory that needles can = be used=20 to release the body's vital energy, or qi.=20

Conventional therapies tested in the study included painkillers, = injections,=20 heat therapy and massage.=20

It is estimated that as many as 85% of the population experiences = back pain=20 at some point, and the problem costs the NHS around =C2=A3500m a year.=20

The study echoes the findings of two studies published last year in = the=20 British Medical Journal, which found a short course of acupuncture could = benefit=20 patients with low back pain.=20

Mike O'Farrell, of the British Acupuncture Council, said: "Through = these=20 controlled research findings demonstrating the effectiveness of = acupuncture, we=20 believe that both the medical health profession and members of the = public will=20 see the benefits of acupuncture as part of an integrated healthcare = service."=20

However, Paul Ingraham, a registered massage therapist, said the = study did=20 not provide evidence that acupuncture was an effective therapy for back = pain.=20

"On the contrary, it strongly shows that the central claims of = acupuncturists=20 are empty, and that all the 'skill' and 'craft' of acupuncturists is no = better=20 than random needling.=20

"Patient optimism is a key factor in back pain rehabilitation, and = any=20 therapy that people feel good about is likely to outperform conventional = therapy."=20