Acupuncture: A Powerful Ally for Chronic Low Back Pain — for Seniors and Everyone Else

Chronic low back pain is one of the most common—and disabling—health problems around. It affects mobility, mood, sleep, everyday function. When you’re in pain, everything else suffers. A new NIH-funded clinical trial called BackInAction gives strong evidence that acupuncture can significantly reduce pain and improve life quality for older adults. But the implications reach far beyond age 65: acupuncture offers hope for people of all ages seeking safer, effective alternatives to medication.

You can find the study here, but keep reading for our take.

What the NIH Study Found

Here are the key takeaways from BackInAction:

• The trial enrolled 800 participants, all aged 65 or older, who had had low back pain for at least three months.

• Participants were divided into different treatment paths: some received usual care only (e.g. standard medical treatment, possibly physical therapy or medications), while others got acupuncture in addition (standard sessions over three months + maintenance treatments over the next three months)

• Outcomes measured included: pain-related disability (i.e. how much back pain interfered with everyday activities), pain intensity, ability to function physically, and even anxiety/depressive symptoms.

And here’s what the results showed:

• Those who had acupuncture had greater reductions in pain-related disability at 6 and 12 months, compared to those who had usual medical care only.

• They also showed lower pain intensity and better physical functioning at those time points.

• Acupuncture was associated with fewer anxiety symptoms, too.

• Importantly, very few adverse effects were reported, suggesting that acupuncture is a safe option—especially relevant in older adults who often have other health issues or are more sensitive to medication side effects.

Why This Matters

• Non-Addictive Pain Relief: With concerns about opioid overuse and medication side effects—especially in older populations—acupuncture offers a lower-risk path.

• Sustained Improvement: The positive effects were not just short-term. Improvements in pain, disability, physical function held up at 6 and 12 months. National Institutes of

• Quality of Life Gains: Pain is not just physical. Reduced anxiety, better ability to move and do daily tasks can ripple out to better sleep, mood, social participation.

For All Ages: Why Younger People Should Take Notice

While this trial focused on older adults (65+), the mechanisms that make acupuncture effective do not stop at any particular age. Here’s why people of all ages can benefit:

• Pain pathways are similar: Whether someone is 30, 50, or 80, chronic low back pain triggers inflammation, muscular tension, nerve sensitization. Acupuncture influences many of these pathways: reducing inflammation, relaxing muscles, modulating pain perception.

• Avoiding medication side effects early: Younger people might not yet have comorbidities that complicate drug use, but avoiding overmedication early can prevent downstream issues (e.g. dependency, side effects).

• Preventing disability: Pain that continues untreated often leads to reduced activity, weakening, possibly contributing to chronic disability. Early acupuncture intervention may slow or stop that decline.

• Mental/emotional benefits: Anxiety, sleep disruption, mood disturbances linked with chronic pain do not discriminate by age. The study showed acupuncture reduced anxiety symptoms in older adults; younger folks may respond similarly.

Back Pain Relief at Very Well

At Very Well in Baltimore, MD, we offer some of the best acupuncture relief around. We also offer Pulsed Electromagnetic Field (PEMF) therapy, which is great on its own or as a supplement to acupuncture.

We are in-network with many health insurance companies, and accept any plan that pays for acupuncture in or out of network. Note that Medicare does pay for acupuncture for a diagnosis of low back pain, but only if performed by a physician. Therefore, we sadly cannot accept Medicare at Very Well. But we do accept HSA/FSA cards and offer these therapies in some of our packages. Click here to see more about using insurance at Very Well, and here to see our transparent pricing.