What question did this study set out to answer?

This research aims to investigate whether acupuncture combined with mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) has a greater effect on chronic non-specific low back pain (CNLBP) than either treatment alone.

February 14, 2026Open Access

Effects of acupuncture and mindfulness-based stress reduction for chronic non-specific low back pain: study protocol for a 2×2 factorial randomised controlled trial

Key Points

This research aims to investigate whether acupuncture combined with mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) has a greater effect on chronic non-specific low back pain (CNLBP) than either treatment alone.
Randomised controlled trial design with a 2×2 factorial setup involving 120 CNLBP patients.
Participants are allocated to four groups: acupuncture, MBSR, acupuncture + MBSR, or health education.
Intervention period lasts 6 weeks with assessments conducted at baseline, 6 weeks, and 4 months.
Outcome measures include various pain and psychological assessments, such as the Visual Analogue Scale and McGill Pain Questionnaire.
The combined effects of acupuncture and MBSR on pain relief and psychological well-being among CNLBP patients will be evaluated.
Individual treatment outcomes for acupuncture and MBSR will also be analyzed to determine effectiveness compared to combined therapy.

Abstract

Background Chronic non-specific low back pain (CNLBP) is a multifactorial disease involving physical dysfunction and psychological distress. Acupuncture and mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) are two non-pharmacological therapies recommended by guidelines, which have been proven effective in improving the clinical symptoms of CNLBP. However, the efficacy of their combined use has yet to be explored. This study aims to explore whether the combination of acupuncture and MBSR would have different synergistic effects in patients with CNLBP compared with acupuncture or MBSR alone. Methods and analysis This protocol describes a randomised controlled trial with a 2×2 factorial design involving 120 CNLBP patients. Participants will be randomly allocated to four groups: (1) acupuncture, (2) MBSR, (3) acupuncture combined with MBSR, and (4) health education. The intervention period is 6 weeks. The outcome measurements will include the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), Tactile Acuity Test, Short-form of McGill Pain Questionnairethe(SF-MPQ); Roland-Morris Functional Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ), Oswestry Disability Index(ODI), the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), the 21-item Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21), the Regulatory Self-Efficacy Scale (RESE), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II), the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), the Fear-Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire (FABQ) and the Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS);Pain Sensitivity Questionnaire(PSQ); Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index(PSQI). All evaluations will be conducted at the baseline stage as well as 6 weeks and 4 months after the implementation of the intervention measures. Ethics and dissemination Ethics approval was obtained from the Ethics Committee of the Affiliated Rehabilitation Hospital of the Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (2024KY-041-04). The results of the study will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications and at scientific conferences. Trial registration number ITMCTR2025000764.

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Cite This Study

Chen et al. (Sun,) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/699011812ccff479cfe583f5 https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2025-113227

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