A multicenter clinical trial by Chinese scientists showed that acupuncture reduced the intensity of back and leg pain in sciatica caused by a herniated disc. The needle injection sites were located in the lumbar region and on the legs. Detailed results were published in JAMA Internal Medicine.
Sciatica is characterized by pain along the sciatic nerve and is sometimes accompanied by lower back pain. Lumbar disc herniation with compression of the lumbosacral plexus roots accounts for 85 percent of sciatica cases. Although most patients with sciatica recover spontaneously or with conservative treatment, some are at increased risk of poor outcomes and increased medical attention. Painkillers commonly prescribed include paracetamol, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and opioids.
However, several studies have shown that acupuncture has a consistent analgesic effect on chronic pain. A recent meta-analysis even found that acupuncture may be effective for sciatica, but the evidence was limited and reflected a lack of high-quality studies.
A research team led by Cun-Zhi Liu from Beijing University of Chinese Medicine conducted a multicenter randomized clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture compared with sham acupuncture in patients with leg pain due to chronic sciatica caused by herniated disc.
Needles were inserted into acupuncture points in the lower back according to the irradiation of pain to the legs. Disposable stainless steel needles were inserted to a depth of 30–50 millimetres depending on the point for 30 minutes. The control group used non-acupuncture points, which are believed to have no effect. Participants underwent a total of ten acupuncture sessions over four weeks, with three sessions per week for the first two weeks and then two sessions per week thereafter. A 100-point visual analogue scale was used to assess pain.
A total of 216 participants (mean age 51.3 years, 147 women and 69 men) were included in the study sample, with 194 participants completing the survey at week 52. Leg pain intensity at week 4 decreased by 30.8 points in the acupuncture group and by 14.9 points in the sham acupuncture group (p < 0.001). In addition, the global disability score also decreased significantly in the acupuncture group (p < 0.001). Overall, the difference between the groups became evident from the second week of the study and was maintained until week 52. No serious adverse reactions were reported by the patients. According to the authors, acupuncture can be used as an adjunctive therapy for pain in intervertebral disc herniation and sciatica. However, larger clinical trials and reviews are needed to widely disseminate this practice. You can read more about how acupuncture works and what place it occupies in modern medicine in the article “On Needles.”