A new study conducted by Spanish researchers verified and agreed with a study conducted just a few years ago by our very own Mayo Clinic in Rochester; That acupuncture provides long lasting & effective relief from pain even months after a patient concludes treatment. In other words; it lasts a long time.

“We observed a significant improvement in all indicators related to pain perception (pain visual analogue scale score, tender points, pressure pain threshold) in the intervention group compared to the control group, both at the end of treatment and during the follow-up periods of 3, 6 and 12 months” stated the researchers.

Brent A. Bauer, MD, FACP, research director of Mayo Clinic’s Complementary and Integrative Medicine Program in Rochester, Minn., said the findings from the study in Spain are similar to those seen at a study at Mayo Clinic that showed symptom relief appeared to extend several months after the acupuncture treatment. “Given the challenges in finding successful treatment strategies for patients with chronic pain, as well as the tremendous safety record of acupuncture in the hands of qualified practitioners, I often incorporate acupuncture as part of my overall treatment approach for my patients with chronic pain,” Dr. Bauer said.

The Spanish study involved a trial of 9 acupuncture treatments over 9 weeks. 10 weeks after the last treatment, pain levels were still cut almost in half of what they started at.