Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of the three arms
| ‘group’ (N = 20) | ‘individual’ (N = 20) | ‘standard’ (N = 20) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Male, n (%) | 10 (50) | 12 (60) | 10 (50) |
| Age in years (mean, SD) | 64.7 (7.7) | 65.1 (9.9) | 64.9 (10.8) |
| BMI (mean, SD) | 32.0 (8.2) | 31.7 (5.1) | 31.7 (5.3) |
| Main activity, n (%) | |||
| Employed | 7 (35) | 7 (35) | 9 (45) |
| Housework | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 1 (5) |
| Retired | 13 (65) | 12 (60) | 9 (45) |
| Other | 0 (0) | 1 (0.5) | 1 (5) |
| Pain elsewhere, n (%) | 12 (60) | 16 (80) | 16 (80) |
| Comorbidities, n (%) | |||
| 0 | 8 (40) | 10 (50) | 6 (30) |
| 1 | 6 (30) | 10 (50) | 11 (55) |
| 2 | 5 (25) | 0 (0) | 3 (15) |
| ≥3 | 1 (0.5) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) |
| Oral NSAIDs | |||
| Currently use n (%) | 2 (10) | 3 (15) | 5 (25) |
| Exercises: n (%) | |||
| Currently use | 10 (50) | 4 (20) | 8 (40) |
Values are n (%) except where stated. % is percent of group
‘group’ group acupuncture, ‘individual’ individual acupuncture, ‘standard’ standardised advice and exercise booklet only