Effect of acupuncture treatment on chronic neck and shoulder pain in sedentary female workers: a 6-month and 3-year follow-up study

The study was carried out to examine whether acupuncture treatment can reduce chronic pain in the neck and shoulders and related headache, and also to examine whether possible effects are long-lasting. Therefore, 24 female office workers (47 ^ 9 years old, mean ^ SD) who had had neck and shoulder pain for 12 ^ 9 years were randomly assigned to a test group (TG) or a control group (CG). Acupuncture was applied 10 times during 3–4 weeks either at presumed anti-pain acupoints (TG) or at placebo-points (CG). A physician measured the pain threshold (PPT) in the neck and shoulder regions with algometry before the first treatment, and after the last one and six months after the treatments. Questionnaires on muscle pain and headache were answered at the same occasions and again 3 years after the last treatment. The intensity and frequency of pain fell more for TG than for CG ðPb # 0:04Þ during the treatment period. Three years after the treatments TG still reported less pain than before the treatments ðPw , 0:001Þ; contrary to what CG did ðPb , 0:04Þ: The degree of headache fell during the treatment period for both groups, but more for TG than for...