Modulation of Autonomic Nervous System During and After Acupuncture Treatment of Lumbosacral Pain in Women: A Preliminary Clinical Observational Study

Abstract

Background: Pain is associated with autonomic imbalance, which mainly manifests as increased sympathetic activity. Up to now, there has been no scientific articles focusing on autonomic modulation of acupuncture for treating low-back pain (LBP) in women. Objective: The goal of this study was to investigate short- and long-term effects following acupuncture needle stimulation on parameters of the autonomic nervous system, such as heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV) in female patients who have LBP. Design, Setting, and Patients: Thirteen women (mean age 58.5±13.5 [standard deviation] years) with lumbosacral pain were enrolled in this study. Intervention: All patients received needle acupuncture treatment in different sessions. The main acupoints used were were Yaoyu (GV 2), Huantiao (GB 30), and Yanglingquan (GB 34). Main Outcome Measures: HR and HRV were measured by a Medilog® AR12 HRV (Huntleigh Healthcare, Cardiff, United Kingdom) recording and analysis system. Results: There were significant decreases of HR and significant increases in HRV during the acupuncture treatment sessions. No significant changes were found before and after each acupuncture treatment cycle. Conclusions: HR and HRV are useful parameters to quantify short-term changes in the autonomic nervous system in females with LBP. Further studies using the same standardized acupuncture scheme in all patients and involving at least ten acupuncture sessions are planned.