ACUPRESSURE RELIEVES LOW BACK PAIN.

Acupressure (applying pressure with the thumbs or fingertips to the same points on the body stimulated in acupuncture) seems to be more effective in reducing low back pain than physical therapy, finds a study published online by the British Medical Journal. Researchers in Taiwan recruited 129 patients with chronic low back pain from a specialist orthopaedic clinic. They were divided into two treatment groups: 64 patients received six sessions of acupressure and 65 patients received physical therapy. Benefits were significantly greater in the acupressure group including low back pain, leg pain, pain that interferes with normal work, and days off from work/school. Also, the effect lasted for six months. (BMJ – British Medical Journal, Feb. 2006)