LOS ANGELES, Sept. 12 (Xinhua) -- Older Americans with chronic low back pain who received acupuncture experienced greater improvements in physical function and reduced pain compared with those who received usual medical care only, a new study showed Friday.

Chronic low back pain is the leading cause of disability worldwide and affects over one-third of older adults in the United States, said the study funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health.

"What sets the study apart is that it focused specifically on adults 65 years of age and older, and it was pragmatically designed," said Lynn DeBar, lead author of the study and distinguished investigator at Kaiser Permanente Northwest.

The clinical trial, known as BackInAction, enrolled 800 participants, including men and women aged 65 and older with a medical history of low back pain for at least three months.

A third of those received up to 15 standard acupuncture treatments over three months, and another third received an additional six acupuncture treatments over the following three months. Patients provided self-assessment of their pain and physical limitations after three, six and 12 months from enrollment.

At both the six- and 12-month follow-ups, participants who received acupuncture showed greater reductions in pain intensity and pain-related disability, as well as improvements in physical function, compared with those receiving usual care alone. Researchers also found that acupuncture treatment was associated with fewer anxiety symptoms.

The study highlighted the importance of improving access to acupuncture for older adults with chronic back pain. It suggested that allowing licensed acupuncture practitioners to bill Medicare directly could help expand access to such treatments. ■