Effects of electroacupuncture frequencies on chronic low back pain in older adults: triple-blind, 12-months protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Abstract

BackgroundLow back pain (LBP) is the most frequent complaint in clinical practice. Electroacupuncture treatment may be effective; however, the supporting evidence is still limited, especially in older adults.ObjectiveThe current study is a randomized controlled trial that aims to evaluate the clinical efficacy of electroacupuncture in older adults with LBP.MethodsA five-arm randomized controlled trial with patients and evaluators blinded to the group allocation. A total of 125 participants with non-specific LBP will be randomly assigned into one of five groups: three electroacupuncture groups (low, high, and alternating frequency); one control group; and one placebo group. The electroacupuncture will be applied twice a week (30 min per session) for five weeks. The primary clinical outcome measure will be pain intensity. The secondary outcomes include: quality of pain; physical functioning; perceived overall effect; emotional functionality; patient satisfaction; and psychosocial factors. Patients will be evaluated before the first session, immediately after the last, and followed up after six and 12 months to check the medium- and long-term effects.DiscussionAlthough electroacupuncture is increasingly used to treat LBP, there is no guidance regarding the parameters used, which leads to inconsistent results. Thus, the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) on LBP remains controversial and requires more studies, especially in the older adult population.ConclusionThis is the first randomized controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy of different frequencies of electroacupuncture for treating chronic LBP in older adults. This study will provide evidence on the effectiveness of electroacupuncture as an alternative treatment method for LBP and will entail wider debate about an appropriate acupuncture intervention in this population.Trial registrationClinicaltrials.gov, NCT03802045. Registered on 14 January 2019.

Effect of Electroacupuncture Combined with Guizhi Gegen Decoction on Cervical Vertigo and Its Influence on TCD of Vertebrobasilar Artery, Blood Rheology Indexes, and Quality of Life

“…Electroacupuncture stimulation can cause needle sensory conduction, which can alleviate the compression of the vertebral artery and cervical sympathetic nerve to a greater extent and relieve the current situation of obstructed blood flow in the vertebrobasilar artery. On the other hand, electroacupuncture treatment can improve the microcirculatory status, regulate capillary permeability, and increase tissue oxygenation and blood flow operation [ 22 ]. Therefore, electroacupuncture treatment can significantly reduce the symptoms of vertigo.…”

Low-frequency electroacupuncture exerts antinociceptive effects through activation of POMC neural circuit induced endorphinergic input to the periaqueductal gray from the arcuate nucleus

“…Numerous clinical studies have confirmed that EA exhibits specific antinociceptive effects. 2 , 32 In clinic practice, varying frequencies of EA are utilized to enhance analgesic effect. It has been suggested that the low frequency (2 Hz) EA is mainly mediated by the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus, whereas the high frequency (100 Hz) is integrated by different nucleus of the brainstem.…”

Effectiveness and safety of polydioxanone thread-embedding acupuncture (TEA) and electroacupuncture (EA) treatment for knee osteoarthritis (KOA) patients with postoperative pain

“…EA involves the application of electrical stimulation along with acupuncture stimulation, and is widely used in clinical practice to relieve acute or chronic pain. [ 1 ] It has been used in the treatment of neck pain, [ 19 ] low back pain, [ 20 ] and neuropathic pain, [ 21 ] and is a method frequently used in the treatment of degenerative KOA. In Korea, EA is recommended as one of the most common treatments for knee pain in clinical practice.…”