Spine (2007): There is moderate evidence that acupuncture relieves pain better than some sham treatments, measured at the end of the treatment. There is moderate evidence that those who received acupuncture reported less pain at short-term follow-up than those on a waiting list. There is also moderate evidence that acupuncture is more effective than inactive treatments for relieving pain post treatment, and this is maintained at short-term follow-up. Abstract

Pain (2006): The improvements in quality of life (physical aspect), active neck mobility and reduced rescue medication were clinically and statistically significant. In the treatment of the intensity of chronic neck pain, acupuncture is more effective than the placebo treatment and presents a safety profile making it suitable for routine use in clinical practice. Abstract

Pain (2006): Treatment with acupuncture added to routine care in patients with chronic neck pain was associated with improvements in neck pain and disability compared to treatment with routine care alone. Abstract

Acupuncture in Medicine (2004): the results indicate that acupuncture can be an effective treatment for selected patients with chronic neck pain. Abstract

Pain (2004): Adequate acupuncture treatment may reduce chronic pain in the neck and shoulders and related headache. Abstract

Zeitschrift für Orthopädie und ihre Grenzgebiete (2003) The results of the study indicate that acupuncture is superior to conventional massage for improving active range of motion in patients with chronic neck pain. Because of its positive effects, its acceptance among patients and the lack of severe side effects, acupuncture can be recommended for the treatment of chronic neck pain, although there was no significant difference in results between "sham" laser acupuncture and acupuncture. Abstract

Pain (2002): Acupuncture is superior to sham in improving motion-related pain and range of motion following a single session of treatment in chronic neck pain patients. Acupuncture at distant points improves range of motion more than dry needling; Dry needling was ineffective for motion-related pain. Abstract

Acupuncture in Medicine (2002): An overall improvement of 73% was obtained with 61% classified as 'significant improvement' or 'cure'. Amongst the adverse effects recorded, retained needles and forgotten patients have been the most concerning and have led to changes in practice following 'critical incident' meetings. Abstract

BMJ (2001): Acupuncture is an effective short term treatment for patients with chronic neck pain, but there is only limited evidence for long term effects after five treatments. Abstract

British Journal of Rheumatology (1998): Both acupuncture and physiotherapy are effective forms of treatment. Since an untreated control group was not part of the study design, the magnitude of this improvement cannot be quantified. Abstract

The Clinical Journal of Pain (1998): Relevant acupuncture with heat contributes to modest pain reduction in persons with myofascial neck pain. Previous experience with and confidence in treatment help to predict benefit. Abstract

Therapy Ineffective/Study Results Inconclusive

Annals of Internal Medicine Medicine (2004): Acupuncture reduced neck pain and produced a statistically, but not clinically, significant effect compared with placebo. The beneficial effects of acupuncture for pain may be due to both nonspecific and specific effects. Abstract

Complimentary Therapies in Medicine (2002): Acupuncture applied to tender points appears to have short-term effects on neck and shoulder pain and stiffness, but this study was unable to demonstrate any long-term superiority over sham acupuncture. Abstract

The American Journal of Chinese Medicine (2002): Both the real and sham [acupuncture] treatments significantly reduced subjective pain, without significant differences between groups for most subjective measures. Objective measures showed no significant change for either group before and after each period or by inter-groups analysis. A minimum 16-week effect of both real and sham acupuncture was found for subjective measures in the follow-up periods. Abstract

The American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis (2001): Patients with acute pain benefited most from acupuncture treatment, whereas patients with psychogenic pain were more likely to benefit from hypnosis. Patients with chronic pain had more variation in their results. Abstract

Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics (1999): The consistency of the results provides, in spite of several discussed shortcomings of this pilot study, evidence that in patients with chronic spinal pain syndromes, spinal manipulation, if not contraindicated, results in greater improvement than acupuncture and medicine. Abstract

Meta-Analyses and Reviews

Therapy Effective

Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (2006): There is moderate evidence that acupuncture relieves pain better than some sham treatments, measured at the end of the treatment. There is moderate evidence that those who received acupuncture reported less pain at short term follow-up than those on a waiting list. There is also moderate evidence that acupuncture is more effective than inactive treatments for relieving pain post-treatment and this is maintained at short-term follow-up. Abstract

The Clinical Journal of Pain (2004): Reanalysis of the fourth trial, which compared acupuncture to placebo acupuncture and massage for neck pain, reversed the results of the original paper: reanalysis found acupuncture to be effective and that its effectiveness could not be ascribed to a placebo effect. Abstract

Therapy Ineffective

Pain (2000): With acupuncture for chronic back and neck pain, we found that the most valid trials tended to be negative. There is no convincing evidence for the analgesic efficacy of acupuncture for back or neck pain. Abstract

Rheumatology (1999): In conclusion, the hypothesis that acupuncture is efficacious in the treatment of neck pain is not based on the available evidence from sound clinical trials. Further studies are justified. Abstract

Inconclusive Results

Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine (2004): For conditions such as chronic pain, neck pain, asthma, and drug addiction the evidence is considered inconclusive and difficult to interpret. Abstract

Prescrire International (2001): Acupuncture should be assessed more rigorously as an analgesic method, especially in the treatment of recurrent headache, neck pain, and dental care. Abstract

Related Studies

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

Background Articles on Acupuncture

National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Get the Facts: Acupuncture (2004)

World Health Organization
Acupuncture: Review and Analysis of Reports on Controlled Clinical Trials (2003)

Material for this report was provided by H. Jedidiah Duensing.

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