Acupressure may be more effective in reducing low back pain than physical therapy, according to a recent study.
Low back pain is a common health condition. In prior studies, acupressure has been shown to be effective in alleviating various types of pain, but its ability to treat low back pain has not been fully evaluated.
Researchers in Taiwan recruited 129 patients with chronic low back pain from an orthopedic clinic. All patients completed a standard disability questionnaire before being randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups.
An acupressure group of 64 patients received six sessions of acupressure and a group of 65 patients received standard physical therapy. Results were analyzed after treatment and again after six months.
Participants in the acupressure group reported a significant reduction in low back pain after treatment compared to those in the physical therapy group. Low back pain improvement lasted for six months.
Study findings indicate that acupressure can be more effective in alleviating low back pain than physical therapy in terms of pain scores, functional status and disability.
Acupressure is a healing therapy which applies pressure with the fingers and other parts of the body to stimulate the body’s natural curative abilities. When acupressure trigger points are pressed, they promote circulation of blood and the body’s life force energy to aid healing.
Acupuncture and acupressure use the same pressure points and meridians, but whereas acupuncture utilizes needles, acupressure uses pressure and integrates massage therapy techniques.
Acupressure is a style of Japanese Shiatsu massage therapy, providing a system for balancing the body’s energy or qi. Pressure is applied to specific acupoints using hand, elbow, knee, and foot techniques.
For information about Acupuncture & Massage College’s Oriental Medicine and Massage Therapy programs call Joe Calareso, Admissions Director, at (305) 595-9500.
I don’t take issue with the idea that acupressure works better than “standard” physical therapy (whatever that is) for back pain. What bothers me is this idea that acupressure and physical therapy are mutually exclusive. They are not. Physical therapists incorporate a variety of treatment methods into their patient care, including acupressure. The best approach in my opinion is to use a multidisciplinary approach to synergistic effect to get the best results for patients rather than having this competition between therapies.
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That sounds interesting. I’ve been meaning to get my back check, and this sounds like a good option. I might read more about this though.
I would think that acupressure and physical therapy would be just as effective. However, when you look a little deeper you realize that different methods work differently for diverse cases. One cannot say that one method is better than the other, unless you have stable and definite proof.
I also agree with Mark DeAnda.
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