Chronic neck pain: a comparison of acupuncture treatment and physiotherapy.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the effectiveness of acupuncture, as compared with physiotherapy, in the management of chronic neck pain.

DESIGN

Seventy adult patients with non-inflammatory neck pain of >6 weeks duration and with no abnormal neurology were randomly assigned to receive either of the treatments. Thirty-five patients were included in each group.

OUTCOME MEASURES

Pain by visual analogue scale and neck pain questionnaire, improvement in range of movement of neck relative to baseline, and well-being (general health questionnaire). Measurements were recorded at the start of treatment, at 6 weeks and at 6 months.

RESULTS

Both treatment groups improved in all criteria. Acupuncture was slightly more effective in patients who had higher baseline pain scores.

CONCLUSIONS

Both acupuncture and physiotherapy are effective forms of treatment. Since an untreated control group was not part of the study design, the magnitude of this improvement cannot be quantified.