LOWER BACK PAIN & ACUPUNCTURE TREATMENT Researchers who compared various reviews concluded that acupuncture improves pain and function of the lower back. Lower Back Pain One of the most common sources of chronic pain is felt in the lower back. For many, treatment for lower back pain (LBP) requires physical therapy, medicine, or in the worst cases, surgery. The evidence from many clinical trials studying traditional needling for LBP is inconsistent. The different findings of 16 studies may depend on whether patient suffers from acute or chronic LBP. “Acute” refers to pain that comes and goes, and ends after an injury has healed, while “chronic” refers to ongoing pain that does not go away after an injury has healed. Researchers who compared the various reviews concluded that acupuncture improves pain and function of the lower back. However, patients suffering from acute LBP responded about the same whether their acupuncture treatment was performed accurately or intentionally inaccurately for testing purposes.