Survey: Use of acupuncture for the treatment of acute low back pain by physicians and physiotherapists in Ontario

ObjectiveTo determine the prevalence of the use of acupuncture treatment for acute low back pain (LBP) among acupuncture practitioners, and investigate acupuncture practitioners’ perceptions on the effectiveness of this treatment modality and the costs associated with its use in Canada.MethodsA questionnaire designed to achieve our objectives was distributed to all 285 members in the Ontario chapter of the Acupuncture Foundation of Canada (AFC) in September of 1996. Only responses from physicians and physiotherapists were included in the analysis.ResultsOf the 281 eligible physicians and physiotherapists, 197 completed the survey (response rate of 70.1%). 45.0% of the respondents were physicians and 55.0% of them were physiotherapists. 87.0% of the respondents had used acupuncture for the treatment of acute LBP in the past, 66.0% of them were using it at the time of the survey and 87.0% said they would continue to use it in the future. 83.0% of the respondents perceived acupuncture to be effective for acute LBP and 60.0% of them believed that treating acute LBP with acupuncture will prevent the development of chronic LBP. The average cost per treatment was $28 and the average time of treatments thought to be necessary to treat acute LBP was 5.7.ConclusionsThe results showed that the majority of the respondents had a positive and favorable outlook towards using acupuncture for the treatment of acute LBP. They frequently used acupuncture for treating this condition in their practice and an overwhelming majority perceived acupuncture to be effective for treating acute LBP. In addition, over half of the respondents believed that acupuncture treatment would prevent the progression of acute LBP. Although the acupuncture practitioners surveyed in this study perceived acupuncture to be an effective treatment for acute LBP, quantitative data from high quality research are needed to validate these perceptions.