Acupuncture for low back pain due to spondylolisthesis: study protocol for a randomized controlled pilot trial.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Spondylolisthesis is the major cause of refractory low back pain. There are many studies of the surgical treatment of spondylolisthesis, but few of conservative treatments. There is also no optimal conservative treatment protocol, however, low back pain caused by low-grade spondylolisthesis is controlled with non-surgical pain management. Acupuncture has become a useful method for treating low back pain, but there has not been any study of its efficacy in relation to spondylolisthesis. This study was designed to establish the feasibility of a randomized controlled trial and the safety of acupuncture for low back pain due to low-grade spondylolisthesis.

Methods/design

The study is a randomized controlled pilot clinical trial of five weeks duration. Fourteen patient

SUBMITTER: Lee HJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4006524 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature