What the evidence shows on acupuncture and chronic pain
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Research over the past two decades suggests that acupuncture can provide meaningful relief for some types of chronic pain, especially headaches, neck pain, and low back pain and often outperforms usual care like ice/heat, anti-inflammatories, and physical therapy. A large Archives of Internal Medicine review combining 29 studies and nearly 18,000 participants found pain dropped by about 50% with acupuncture. Overall, the strongest evidence is for chronic headache disorders and back pain, making it a reasonable, low-risk option to consider as part of a broader pain-management plan.
Source
Vickers AJ, Cronin AM, Maschino AC, et al. Acupuncture for Chronic Pain: Individual Patient Data Meta-analysis. Arch Intern Med. 2012;172(19):1444–1453. doi:10.1001/archinternmed.2012.3654
Additional Reading
https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2023/07/24/does-acupuncture-work-chronic-pain/
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/acupuncture-is-worth-a-try-for-chronic-pain-201304016042