***TASK*** the task is to summarize an input biomedical literature in six sentences 
    ***INPUT*** the input is a biomedical literature 
    ***OUTPUT*** the output is the summary of an input biomedical literature in six sentences 
    ***DOCUMENTATION*** 
    ***EXAMPLES*** 
    Input: For clinical trials of acupuncture , it would be desirable to have a sham procedure that is indistinguishable from the real treatment , yet inactive . A sham needle has been design ed which telescopes instead of penetrating the skin . The Park Sham Device involves an improved method of supporting the sham needle and requires validation . The objective of these studies was to test whether the sham procedure using the new device was 1 ) indistinguishable from the same procedure using real needles in acupuncture naïve subjects , and 2 ) inactive , where the specific needle sensation ( de qi ) is taken as a surrogate measure of activity . The studies were design ed as subject and assessor blind , r and omised controlled trials . Study 1 ) included 58 patients enrolled in a clinical trial of acupuncture for acute stroke . Study 2 ) included 63 healthy , acupuncture naïve , adult volunteers . The interventions used were real or sham acupuncture using the Park Sham Device . Study 1 ) was set in a district general hospital , and study 2 ) in a university laboratory . The outcome measure in study 1 ) was the form of treatment that patients believed they had received . In study 2 ) the outcome measure was experience of de qi , as judged by three acupuncture experts . No patient in either group ( study 1 ) believed he or she had been treated with the sham needle . In 40 volunteers ( study 2 ) for whom experts achieved consensus , the relative risk of experiencing de qi with real acupuncture to that with sham acupuncture was 15.38 ( 95 % CI 2.26 to 104.86 ) . The inter-rater reliability of all 13 experts ( study 2 ) , calculated from their judgements on 10 subjects selected by r and omisation , was 0.52 ( 95 % CI 0.19 to 0.61 ) . In conclusion , the results suggest that the procedure using the new device is indistinguishable from the same procedure using real needles in acupuncture naïve subjects , and is inactive , where the specific needle sensation ( de qi ) is taken as a surrogate measure of activity . It is therefore a valid control for acupuncture trials . The findings also lend support to the existence of de qi , a major concept underlying traditional Chinese acupuncture OBJECTIVE To compare the differences of therapeutic effect in lower limb sensation disorder after lumbar disc herniation operation treated with plum-blossom needle along meridians and Methylcobalamin with oral administration , and explore the best time for plum-blossom needle intervention . METHODS Eighty cases of lower limb sensation disorder caused by nucleus pulposus discectomy of lumbar disc herniation were r and omly divided into a plum-blossom needle group ( 40 cases ) and a western medication group ( 40 cases ) . In plum-blossom needle group , tapping with plum-blossom needle along meridians was received , the meridians located at sensation areas which were dominated by relevant segmental nerve root in operation were selected : the lower limb section of the Spleen Meridian of Foot-Taiyin was selected for operation at L3/L4 ; the lower limb section of the Gall Bladder Meridian of Foot-Shaoyang was selected for operation at L4 /L5 ; the lower limb section of the Bladder Meridian of Foot-Taiyang was selected for operation at L5/S1 ; once treatment was applied every 3 days , and 20 times treatments were applied totally . In western medication group , Methylcobalamin was orally taken for 500 microg , 3 times a day . The recovery of lower limb sensation disorder was evaluated and compared by the comprehensive evaluation method of sensory function of body nerve after 2 months in both groups . RESULTS The total effective rate was 90.0 % ( 36/40 ) in plum-blossom needle group , superior to that of 60.0 % ( 24/40 ) in western medication group ( P < 0.05 ) . In plum-blossom needle group , the effect for the cases which received treatment within one month after operation was superior to that received treatment during 1 - 3 months after operation ( P < 0.05 ) ; and there was no significant differences between the cases which received the treatment during 1 - 3 months after operation and more than 3 months after operation ( P > 0.05 ) . CONCLUSION The therapeutic effect of lower limb sensation disorder after lumbar disc herniation operation treated with plum-blossom needle along meridians is superior to that of Methylcobalamin with oral administration ; the plum-blossom needle intervention within one month after operation can receive the best effect & NA ; Motion style acupuncture treatment ( MSAT ) was more effective for pain relief and functional recovery than diclofenac injection in acute low back pain patients with disability . & NA ; Review s of the efficacy of acupuncture as a treatment for acute low back pain ( aLBP ) have shown that there is insufficient evidence for its effect and that more research is needed . Motion style acupuncture treatment ( MSAT ) is novel in that it requires a part of the patient ’s body to move passively or actively while acupuncture needles are retained . A multicenter , r and omized , comparative effectiveness trial was conducted to evaluate the effects of MSAT in aLBP with severe disability . A total of 58 aLBP patients with severe functional disability ( defined per Oswestry Disability Index [ ODI ] ≥60 % ) were recruited and assigned r and omly to receive 1 session of either conventional diclofenac injection ( n = 29 ) or MSAT ( n = 29 ) . The primary outcome measured improvement in LBP using the 10‐point numerical rating scale of LBP , and the secondary outcome assessed disability using the Oswestry Disability Index at 30 minutes and at 2 , 4 , and 24 weeks after treatment . Analyses were by intention to treat . The numerical rating scale of the MSAT group decreased 3.12 ( 95 % confidence interval = 2.26 , 3.98 ; P < .0001 ) more than that of the injection group and the Oswestry Disability Index of the MSAT group decreased 32.95 % ( 95 % confidence interval = 26.88 , 39.03 ; P < .0001 ) more than that of the injection group , respectively . The difference between the 2 groups maintained statistical significance at 2 and 4 weeks after treatment . These results suggest that MSAT has positive effects on immediate pain relief and the functional recovery of aLBP patients with severe disability Acupuncture is increasingly used , so it is important to establish whether its benefits outweigh its risks . Numerous case reports of adverse events show that acupuncture is not free of risk , but accurate data from prospect i ve investigations is scarce . A prospect i ve survey was undertaken using intensive event monitoring . Forms were developed for reporting minor events each month and significant events as they occurred . The sample size was calculated to identify any adverse events that occurred more frequently than once in 10,000 consultations . Acupuncturists were recruited from two professional organisations in the UK . Seventy-eight acupuncturists , all doctors or physiotherapists , reported a total of 2178 events occurring in 31,822 consultations , an incidence of 684 per 10,000 consultations . The most common minor adverse events were bleeding , needling pain , and aggravation of symptoms ; aggravation was followed by resolution of symptoms in 70 % of cases . There were 43 significant minor adverse events reported , a rate of 14 per 10,000 , of which 13 ( 30 % ) interfered with daily activities . One patient suffered a seizure ( probably reflex anoxic ) during acupuncture , but no adverse event was classified as serious . Avoidable events included forgotten patients , needles left in patients , cellulitis and moxa burns . In conclusion , the incidence of adverse events following acupuncture performed by doctors and physiotherapists can be classified as minimal ; some avoidable events do occur . Acupuncture seems , in skilled h and s , one of the safer forms of medical intervention Management of acute and chronic low back and leg pain often includes the use of acupuncture . The effectiveness of this form of therapy is dependent upon compliance , which in turn is dependent on availability , response , treatment of proper acupoints , and the placebo effect . We hypothesized that classical acupuncture would be more effective than placebo acupuncture .  One hundred and thirty-two patients with acute and chronic low back and leg pain were examined before and after surgery for lumbar disc protrusion . Diagnosis was based on CT and MRT findings . Patients received acupuncture drug-free throughout the study period . The visual analogue scale was used to assess pain intensity before and after ( i.e. 30 min . 60 min . 2 h and 6 h ) acupuncture . Classical acupuncture result ed in a significant reduction in pain that become increasingly stronger during the 6h study period . Placebo acupuncture lead to same early pain relief that did not reach statistic significant and then declined thereafter OBJECTIVE This study aim ed to examine the adjuvant effects of auricular acupres-sure in augmenting intravenous patient-controlled analgesia with morphine and droperidol for postoperative lumbar surgery patients in terms of postoperative pain relief satisfaction , and the incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting ( PONV ) . METHODS In this single-blind experimental study , 94 subjects were r and omly assigned to the experimental group in which patients received auricular acupressure to six auricular acupoints or a control group without acupressure . Data were collected using the American Pain Society Patient Outcome Question naire . Descriptive analyses , t tests , chi(2 ) tests , Mann-Whitney tests , and the generalized estimating equation model were used . RESULTS The experimental group had lower average pain scores than the control group , but no between-group difference was found . Analgesic dose and satisfaction were similar in both groups . The incidence of PONV was low and similar in both groups . CONCLUSION Although this study did not demonstrate adjuvant effects of auricular acupressure on postoperative pain , analgesic dose , analgesic satisfaction and PONV , most subjects were satisfied with the pain management even though they were subjected to moderate pain because of insufficient analgesia . Further studies should reconfirm the effects of auricular acupressure on analgesia provided by intravenous patient-controlled analgesia in postoperative patients , and its influence on the frequency and duration of analgesia administration OBJECTIVE To investigate the clinical effects of acupuncture after surgical operation in patients with prolapse of the lumbar intervertebral disc ( PLID ) . METHODS Sixty-nine patients in this series , who had undergone the removal of nucleus pulposus and the intervertebral fusion as well , were r and omly divided into a treatment group of 35 cases and a control group of 34 cases . The former was treated by acupuncture and conventional rehabilitation therapy , and the latter only by the rehabilitation therapy . The therapeutic effects were evaluated according to the scoring system stipulated by Japanese Orthopedics Association ( JOA ) . RESULTS In the treatment group , the average functional recovery rates in 3-month , 6-month and one-year periods were respectively 49.93 % , 90.31 % and 95.08 % ; while the rates were repesctively 26.24 % , 63.42 % and 71.36 % in the control group , showing statistically significant difference between the two groups ( P<0.05 ) . CONCLUSIONS Acupuncture can confirmatively promote the functional recovery for ' patients with prolapse of the lumbar intervertebral disc after surgical removal of nucleus pulposus and with intervertebral fusion Seventy two patients , from 15 to 60 years old , in good physical status and su bmi tted to surgery in the upper or lower abdominal , rectal or lumbar areas were studied . In the immediate postoperative period , they were r and omly divided in three groups and each group was su bmi tted to one of the following treatments : intravenous meperidine , transcutaneous nerve stimulation ( TNS ) or electroacupuncture ( EA ) . Each treatment was divided in two phases with one hour interval between them . Each phase was constituted of 30 minutes of stimulation in case of TNS and EA and fractionated administration of meperidine in all groups . The pain level was evaluated through a visual analogue scale before and after each phase of treatment . The results were compared among groups and , on each group , between the phases of treatment . In all surgery types , the postoperative pain relief presented by TNS and EA groups of patients was greater than that of meperidine treated group . But , the analgesia presented by the EA treated group of patients lasted longer and increased with the repetition of treatment . The differences of behaviour of  TNS and EA analgesia suggest that their neurochemical mechanisms may not be the same OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of acupoint electrical stimulation with patient-controlled analgesia ( PCA ) on reducing acute pain , nausea , and vomiting after surgery for nontraumatic spinal cord injury . METHODS A r and omized , controlled , repeated measures research design was used . Ninety-nine patients undergoing lumbar spinal surgery were r and omly assigned to one of three groups . Patients in experimental group 1 ( EG1 ) received true acupoint electrical simulation three times , whereas those in experimental group 2 ( EG2 ) received sham acupoint manually . Patients in the control group ( CG ) received no acupoint intervention . All patients were measured for pain , initial dem and for PCA , dem and for opiates , opiate dose , vital signs , and postoperative nausea and vomiting ( PONV ) . RESULTS Significant differences were 
    Output:
    
Our systematic review finds encouraging but limited evidence for the effectiveness of acupuncture treatment for acute postoperative pain after back surgery .