Leite 2018.
| Methods | Four‐arm RCT Number analyzed/randomized: 69/86 Statistical analysis: ITT analysis not mentioned; Chi² test, Wilcoxon text, ANOVA, and Kruskal‐Wallis test; power analysis Funding source: Brazil grant Ethical approval and informed consents obtained |
| Participants |
Participant recruitment: NR Setting: at the Ambulatory of Laboratory for Research in Neurosciences, Federal University of Sergipe, Brazil Inclusion criteria: 1) low back pain diagnosis made by orthopedics physician; 2) pain on the lumbar region for at least three months; 3) never received acupuncture or electroacupuncture treatment Exclusion criteria: 1) doing physiotherapy or other treatment for low back pain; 2) pregnant or postpartum women who had given birth in the past three months; 3) having deformities or important amputations on lower limbs; 4) low back pain due to infection, tumor, osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, vertebrae fracture, or radiculopathy; 5) nervous or cutaneous tissue injury affecting lumbar region; 6) active infectious processes; 7) surgery or invasive exams on the spine for the past three months; 8) inability to understand instructions or consent to the study; 9) psychiatric or cognitive impairments; 10) neurological, pulmonary, or cardiac disease; 11) heart pacemaker; 12) auditory, visual, or communication disturbance Mean Age (years): 46.38 Gender (female %): 55.1% Pain duration: NR Pain intensity (mean ± SD): 3.61‐4.40 (McGill tool,range) |
| Interventions |
1) GROUP 1: Electroacupuncture (n = 21) Acupuncture points: B22, B26, B50, B53 Depth: 10 mm De Qi: NR Sessions: Ten sessions (three times a week) Acupuncturist experience: NR During the 30‐minute stimulation, frequency was alternated between high and low every five seconds. 2) GROUP 2: Control 1 (needles + device off) (n = 22) Needles kept inserted for 30 minutes, with electrical stimulus for 45 seconds only 3) GROUP 3: Control 2 (needle alone) (n = 22) Participants had a needle inserted, without electrical stimulus. 4) GROUP 4: Control 3 (withdrawn needles) (n = 21) Needles placed in the acupoints as group 1; needles were withdrawn immediately after puncture which was not seen by patients. Co‐intervention: No additional components of treatment (moxibustion, cupping, and herbs) were used. Duration of treatment: four weeks Duration of follow‐up: immediate time point |
| Outcomes |
1) Pain intensity: 11‐point numerical rating pain scale (0 to 10); McGill Pain Questionnaire Assessment time: immediate time point Costs: NR Adverse effects: NR |
| Notes |
Conclusion: Compared to the controls, electroacupuncture treatment could not change the pain intensity in patients with chronic nonspecific low back pain. Language: English |