Electroacupuncture may relieve chronic low back pain by reducing heightened pain amplification, with treatment expectations and coping beliefs influencing response.
This placebo-controlled study randomly assigns adults with chronic low back pain to active or sham electroacupuncture delivered across eight weeks, while keeping participants and outcome assessors unaware of treatment allocation. Researchers measure pain amplification, descending pain inhibition, treatment expectations, catastrophic pain beliefs, confidence in managing pain, pain bothersomeness, disability, and patient-reported health outcomes before and during treatment.
The study examines whether active electroacupuncture reduces pain amplification more than sham treatment and whether changes in pain regulation explain improvements in back pain. It also assesses whether expectations, catastrophic thinking, and confidence in pain management influence who benefits most from electroacupuncture.
