Efficacy of Silver Needle Therapy for The Treatment of Chronic Nonspecific Low Back Pain: A Prospective, Single-Center, Randomized, Parallel-Controlled Clinical Trial

Abstract

Background: Chronic nonspecific low back pain (CNSLBP) troubles approximately 30% of people worldwide. Silver needle therapy (SNT) is a treatment method to relieve soft tissue pain through heating. Therefore, this study aimed to observe the effects of SNT on CNSLBP.Methods: In this study, 100 patients were randomly divided into 2 groups: silver needle (SN) group and control group (n = 50). In the SN group, patients received SNT and physiotherapy, while patients received physiotherapy alone in the control group. At the 6-month follow-up, the numerical rating scale (NRS), Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), Short-Form 12 of quality of life (SF-12), the natural logarithms of low frequency measurement (InLF) and the natural logarithms of high frequency measurement (InHF) of heart rate variability (HRV) were recorded.Results: In both groups, NRS, ODI, SF-12 scores, and HRV at 2 weeks after treatment were improved and maintained for 6 months. Compared with the control group, more significant improvements were observed in the NRS and SF-12 scores at 1, 2, 3, and 6 months and in the ODI scores at 1 and 2 months in the SN group (P < 0.05). However, there was no significant difference between the groups in the ODI scores at 3 and 6 months. InLF and InHF in the SN group were higher than those in the control group at 3 and 6 months (P < 0.05).Conclusions: SNT relieved pain and improved quality of life and autonomic nerve activity, especially parasympathetic nerve, in patients with CNSLBP, without serious complications.Trial registration: This work has registered in the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (No. ChiCTR-OOC-17013237; Date: 2017.11.09).

The efficacy and safety of silver needle in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis

“…[ 11 ] The mechanism of silver needle therapy is similar to that of moxibustion, but moxibustion is heated by burning cotton balls and cannot control the temperature, while silver needles are heated by special equipment and the temperature can be set according to the patient's feedback. [ 12 ] Silver needle therapy has achieved good results in low back pain, knee arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis and other diseases. [ 12 – 14 ] However, there is a lack of clinical research on the efficacy and safety of silver needle therapy in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.…”

“…[ 12 ] Silver needle therapy has achieved good results in low back pain, knee arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis and other diseases. [ 12 – 14 ] However, there is a lack of clinical research on the efficacy and safety of silver needle therapy in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Therefore, we intend to use this randomized controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of silver needle therapy in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.…”

“…Clinical studies have confirmed that silver needle can eliminate aseptic inflammation, improve blood circulation and relieve muscle spasm [11] . The mechanism of silver needle therapy is similar to that of moxibustion, but moxibustion is heated by burning cotton balls and cannot control the temperature, while silver needles are heated by special equipment and the temperature can be set according to the patient's feedback [12] . Silver needle therapy has achieved good results in low back pain, knee arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis and other diseases [12–14] .…”