RESUMO
[Objective]To compare the efficacies of three types of acupuncture modalities on the pain magnitude and disability of chronic low back pain (LBP).<BR>[Design]Single blind randomized controlled trial, three parallel arms.<BR>[Setting]Outpatients of the Meiji University of Integrative Medicine Hospital.<BR>[Subjects]Thirty-nine elderly patients (24 females, 15 males;age 71.2 ± 7.7) who suffered from LBP for at least six months.<BR>[Interventions]Subjects were randomly allocated to one of three groups. Tender point group (TeP, n = 13) received to the tender point. Trigger point acupuncture group (TrP, n = 13) received to the trigger points. Sham acupuncture group (SM, n = 13) mimicked needling without insertion of the needle in the trigger point. Acupuncture sessions were performed once a week for five weeks. <BR>[Main Outcome Measures]Pain intensity (visual analogue scale:VAS) and QOL (Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire:RDQ). <BR>[Results]At the end of the treatment period, significant improvement was observed on pain intensity and QOL in the TrP group alone (p < 0.01). However, there were significant differences in pain at the three month follow-up.<BR>[Conclusion]These results suggest that trigger point acupuncture has a long-term effect on treatment for low back pain in aged patients.