Acupressure may be more effective in reducing low back pain than physical therapy, the results of a new study indicate.

Acupressure is when pressure is applied with the thumbs or fingertips to the same points on the body that are stimulated in acupuncture.

Low back pain meanwhile is a common health problem worldwide. Previous studies have found that acupressure can alleviate some types of pain, however little is known about its effect on low back pain.

A team of researchers looked at 129 patients with chronic low back pain, who were attending a specialist orthopaedic clinic. All completed a standard disability questionnaire before being allocated to two treatment groups. Sixty-four of the patients received six sessions of acupressure and 65 patients received physical therapy.

The results were analysed immediately after treatment and again after six months.

The study found that those in the acupressure group scored a significantly lower disability score than those in the physical therapy group.

In fact, acupressure lead to an 89% reduction in disability, compared with physical therapy. Furthermore, that improvement lasted for six months.

"This study shows that acupressure is more effective in alleviating low back pain than physical therapy in terms of pain scores, functional status and disability. The effect was not only seen in the short term, but lasted for six months", the researchers said.

The findings support the conclusion of previous studies and indicate that acupressure may be useful for reducing pain and improving body function in those with this type of pain, they added.

Details of this research are published in the British Medical Journal.