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Acupuncture effective for chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome
Clinical Question
Is acupuncture an effective treatment for adult men with chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome?
Bottom line
This study found that an 8-week treatment program with traditional acupuncture was superior to sham acupuncture in reducing pain and improving quality of life in men with chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome. 1b
Reference
Study design: Randomized controlled trial (double-blinded)
Funding: Government
Setting: Outpatient (specialty)
Synopsis
These investigators identified men aged 18 years to 50 years who'd met the standard diagnostic criteria for chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain for a minimum of 3 of the last 6 months. A total of 68 patients randomly received assignment (concealed allocation) to treatments with acupuncture or sham acupuncture. Participants attended 3 sessions per week for 8 consecutive weeks, with each session lasting approximately 30 minutes. Active treatment consisted of acupuncture needle insertion and twirling stimulation at pelvic and sacral acupoints. Sham acupuncture consisted of stimulation at the same acupoints with a blunt-tip needle that did not penetrate the skin. Individuals masked to treatment group assignment assessed outcomes using validated pain and quality-of-life measurement tools. Complete follow up occurred for 94.1% of participants at 32 weeks. Using intention-to-treat analysis, the decrease from baseline in the total symptom score at 32 weeks was 7.4 points lower (on a scale from 0 to 43; 95% CI 9.8 to 5.1) in the acupuncture group than in the sham acupuncture group, respectively, with a predetermined clinically significant difference of a 4-point decrease. The number of patients with a 50% decrease from baseline in the total symptom score was also significantly higher at 32 weeks in the active acupuncture compared to sham acupuncture group (56.3% vs 0.0%, respectively; number needed to treat = 1.9; 1.5 - 3.0). No significant difference was found between the groups in the number of patients who guessed whether they received traditional or sham acupuncture.
Reviewer
David C. Slawson, MD
Professor and Vice Chair of Family Medicine for Education and Scholarship
Atrium Health
Professor of Family Medicine, UNC Chapel Hill
Charlotte, NC
Comments
good poem
It is nice to have a new alternative to treat this frustrating chronic ailment.
This is a notoriously difficult condition to treat that affects QOL significantly. Usually treated with varying success by antibiotics and “reassurance”. Very useful to consider treating the pain along with the cause. 50% decrease in a significant number is a great addition. Would be useful to know how accupuncture compares to other forms of analgesia..I.e NSAID’s or acetaminophen.
Wondering if acupuncture would be effective for women with chronic pelvic pain?
Sometimes it is difficult to treat chronic prostatitis or chronic pelvic pain . It is important to know that acupuncture is effective ,so that we can treat those patient better.
This " study" simply proves that placebo is occasionally effective.
On the other hand there was 1 chance out of 2 of obtaining 50% pain relief after 8 weeks of treatment going 3x per week. It is fair to ask who among our working age male population could devote that kind of work time to these poor outcomes for pain management
Was sham acupuncture tested against "no treatment"?
I have a young woman with interstitial cystitis/chronic pelvic pain and I am wondering if she might also benefit from this treatment. Since treatment risk with acupuncture vs. the treatment she is already on is negligible I would definitely suggest trying it.