Noninvasive Treatments for Acute, Subacute, and Chronic Low Back Pain
Authors: Sandeep Vijan, Scott Manaker, Amir Qaseem
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2017)

Letters5 December 2017Noninvasive Treatments for Acute, Subacute, and Chronic Low Back PainSandeep Vijan, MD, MS, Scott Manaker, MD, PhD, and Amir Qaseem, MD, PhD, MHASandeep Vijan, MD, MSAnn Arbor Veterans Affairs Health Services, Ann Arbor, Michigan (S.V.)Search for more papers by this author, Scott Manaker, MD, PhDHospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (S.M.)Search for more papers by this author, and Amir Qaseem, MD, PhD, MHAAmerican College of Physicians, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (A.Q.)Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/L17-0475 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail IN RESPONSE:We disagree with Drs. Braillon's and Marcus's comments on the efficacy of acupuncture. Although not all trials showed benefit (1), acupuncture versus sham needles revealed a small beneficial effect on pain, with no evidence of an effect on function in acute low back pain and improvement in both pain and function in chronic low back pain; similar findings were shown even when compared with NSAIDs. However, we agree that sustained benefit with acupuncture has not been shown. We also agree with Dr. Braillon about the evidence of benefit of cognitive behavioral therapy and recommend this intervention in our ...References1. Chou R, Deyo R, Friedly J, Skelly A, Weimer M, Fu R, et al. Systemic pharmacologic therapies for low back pain: a systematic review for an American College of Physicians clinical practice guideline. Ann Intern Med. 2017;166:480-92. [PMID: 28192790]. doi:10.7326/M16-2458 LinkGoogle Scholar2. Qaseem A, Wilt TJ, McLean RM, Forciea MA; Clinical Guidelines Committee of the American College of Physicians.. Noninvasive treatments for acute, subacute, and chronic low back pain: a clinical practice guideline from the American College of Physicians. Ann Intern Med. 2017;166:514-30. [PMID: 28192789]. doi:10.7326/M16-2367 LinkGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: Ann Arbor Veterans Affairs Health Services, Ann Arbor, Michigan (S.V.)Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (S.M.)American College of Physicians, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (A.Q.)Disclosures: Disclosures can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=M16-2367. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoNoninvasive Treatments for Acute, Subacute, and Chronic Low Back Pain: A Clinical Practice Guideline From the American College of Physicians Amir Qaseem , Timothy J. Wilt , Robert M. McLean , Mary Ann Forciea , and Noninvasive Treatments for Acute, Subacute, and Chronic Low Back Pain Donald M. Marcus Noninvasive Treatments for Acute, Subacute, and Chronic Low Back Pain Jeremy D. Whyman and Rosanne M. Leipzig Noninvasive Treatments for Acute, Subacute, and Chronic Low Back Pain Alain Braillon Noninvasive Treatments for Acute, Subacute, and Chronic Low Back Pain Mark Collen Noninvasive Treatments for Acute, Subacute, and Chronic Low Back Pain Donald R. Murphy , Michael J. Schneider , Christopher G. Bise , and Brian Justice Noninvasive Treatments for Acute, Subacute, and Chronic Low Back Pain Lisa H. Le and Robert G. Badgett Noninvasive Treatments for Acute, Subacute, and Chronic Low Back Pain Ivan Vucina Metrics Cited byAssessing the Relative Effectiveness of Combining Self-Care with Practitioner-Delivered Complementary and Integrative Health Therapies to Improve Pain in a Pragmatic Trial Evaluating the Characteristics, Reporting and Methodological Quality of Systematic Reviews of Acupuncture for Low Back Pain by Using the Veritas Plot 5 December 2017Volume 167, Issue 11Page: 835-836KeywordsAcupunctureAge groupsDisclosureElderlyFactor analysisForecastingLower back painNSAIDsResearch reporting guidelines ePublished: 5 December 2017 Issue Published: 5 December 2017 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2017 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...