Patients may Be denied effective treatment for low back pain in the UK
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) are an advisory body which advise medical practitioners in the UK. NICE issue so called evidence based guidelines which advise on treatment protocols for most medical conditions including low back pain. Although UK based, practitioners including physiotherapists in other countries consult the guidelines.
The guideline on the treatment of low back pain (CG88) published in 2009 included medical acupuncture for persistent non specific low back pain. This meant that medical acupuncture could be offered by the NHS and as a result many patients would have benefited from this effective and safe form of treatment.