A randomized, placebo-controlled study published in Spine (December 15, 2011; 36(26):E1659–E1665) examined electro-acupuncture in individuals with chronic or sub-acute whiplash-associated disorder (grades I and II). The study included 124 participants who were randomly assigned to receive either 12 sessions of electro-acupuncture or sham acupuncture over a six-month period.
Pain outcomes were assessed at three and six months. Participants receiving electro-acupuncture demonstrated greater reductions in pain scores at both follow-up points compared with the sham acupuncture group. The authors reported that these differences were statistically significant.
