Table 1.
Baseline demographic and clinical characteristics of the study population.
| Characteristics | EA group (n = 50) | MFE group (n = 50) | P value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, years† | 54.26 ± 12.39 | 51.08 ± 12.98 | 0.213∗ |
| Sex, M/F (%) | 21.3/78.7 | 22.5/77.5 | 0.467& |
| Body mass index, Kg/m2† | 25.47 ± 3.25 | 24.78 ± 3.54 | 0.311∗ |
| Duration of disease, months‡ | 60 (12–120) | 48 (15–120) | 0.613# |
| Leg pain NRS† | 4.66 ± 1.88 | 4.35 ± 1.28 | 0.343∗ |
| Low back pain NRS† | 3.94 ± 2.41 | 3.68 ± 2.28 | 0.582∗ |
| ODI questionnaire scores† | 37.77 ± 16.79 | 35.00 ± 13.42 | 0.363∗ |
| Frequency of analgesics (%) | 0.806& | ||
| 0 times/week | 38 (76) | 39 (78) | |
| 1–3 times/week | 4 (8) | 6 (12) | |
| 4–6 times/week | 3 (6) | 1 (2) | |
| 7–9 times/week | 2 (4) | 2 (4) | |
| ≥10 times/week | 3 (6) | 2 (4) |
EA: electroacupuncture; MFE: medium-frequency electrotherapy; †mean (standard deviation).
NRS: numerical rating scale; ODI: Oswestry Disability Index; &chi-square test.
∗Unpaired t-test; #Mann–Whitney U test; ‡median (interquartile ranges).