A study by the Institute of Preventative Medicine at the National Taiwan University and published in the BRITISH MEDICAL JOURNAL on line has revealed that 90% of patients suffering from back pain found that acupressure was more effective in alleviating low back pain than physical therapy in terms of pain scores, functional status and disability, say the authors. The effect was not only seen in the short term, but lasted for six months.
The trial, comparing acupressure with mainstream physical therapy in a study of 129 patients, found that the treatment resulted in 89% reduction in disability. The patients also saw improvements in leg pain and "pain interfering with normal work" with a reduction in time taken off work as a result.
Sixty four patients received six sessions of acupressure over the next month and 65 received conventional physical therapy. The mean disability score after treatment was significantly lower in the acupressure group than in the physical group.
