Acupuncture Interventions Effective for Chronic Neck Pain
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
TUESDAY, Sept. 3, 2024 -- Acupuncture interventions using high- or low-sensitivity acupoints (HSA and LSA) are more effective for reducing chronic neck pain (CNP) than sham acupuncture (SA) or wait-list (WL) control, according to a study published online Sept. 3 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Ling Zhao, Ph.D., from the Acupuncture and Tuina School at Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine in China, and colleagues examined the efficacy and safety of pressure-pain, sensory-based individualized acupuncture for relieving pain in a 24-week multicenter, randomized controlled trial conducted at four clinical centers in China. The study included 716 participants with CNP who were randomly assigned to a WL group or HSA, LSA, or SA acupuncture groups.
Overall, 683 participants were included in the modified intention-to-treat population. The researchers found that for HSA, LSA, SA, and WL, the mean baseline visual analog scale scores were 50.36, 50.10, 49.24, and 49.16, respectively. The mean baseline to week 4 changes were −12.16, −10.19, −6.11, and −2.24 in the HSA, LSA, SA, and WL groups, respectively. At 24-week follow-up, the intervention effects persisted.
"In contrast to SA and a WL control, individualized acupuncture was more effective in reducing pain for a minimum of 24 weeks. The clinical importance of this improvement is unclear," the authors write. "Our results suggest that the selection of pressure-pain, sensory-based objective acupoints could be considered as a treatment of CNP."
Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted September 2024
Read this next
Mindfulness Training Improved Positive Emotion Regulation in OUD
THURSDAY, May 8, 2025 -- For patients with chronic pain, opioid use disorder (OUD) is characterized by difficulties in positive emotion regulation (ER), and mindfulness training...
Lower Oral Health Scores Linked to Higher Pain Scores in Women
MONDAY, April 14, 2025 -- Low oral health scores are associated with higher pain scores, including migraine headache, among women, according to a study published online April 9 in...
ACP: Guidance Provided for Use of Cannabis in Chronic Noncancer Pain Management
MONDAY, April 7, 2025 -- In a best practice guideline issued by the American College of Physicians and published online April 4 in the Annals of Internal Medicine, advice is...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.