Stimulated by Albert et al 2023.[1] Photo by Neonbrand on Unsplash. PID – prolapsed intervertebral discLBP – low back painNSAIDs – non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugsSD – standard deviation key to acronyms This paper was published online in mid-December but I could not access the full text. I wrote to the first author, Hanne Albert, and she kindly sent me ..read more

Stimulated by Lee et al 2023.[1] APs – acupuncture pointsKIOM – Korean Institute of Oriental MedicineNMA – network meta-analysisIF – impact factorEBM – evidence based medicineSATV – sham acupuncture therapy verum pointAT – acupuncture therapySATS – sham acupuncture therapy sham pointVAS – visual analogue scaleRMDQ – Roland-Morris Disability QuestionnaireNRS – numerical rating scale key to acronyms ..read more

Stimulated by a trip to Jaseng, Seoul, for their 4th annual academic conference, and a paper from the founder of Jaseng, published in Pain 10 years ago, Shin et al 2013.[1] MSAT – motion style acupuncture treatmentMSK – musculoskeletalcLBP – chronic low back painUS – ultrasoundTP – transverse processCAT – conventional acupuncture treatmentRCT – randomised ..read more

Stimulated by Mei et al 2023.[1] Photo by Christian Lue on Unsplash. MSK – musculoskeletalCHARLS – China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study key to acronyms The title of this paper caught my eye, and the abstract contains an acronym that makes me smile with a mixture of irony and curiosity – CHARLS. CHARLS was set ..read more

Stimulated by Cheng et al 2023.[1] Figure 1 from Cheng et al 2023.[1] ES – erector spinae key to acronym The risk of needling the kidney must have come up on every acupuncture course I have ever taught over the last 27 years. My comment is usually that acupuncture needles are unlikely to do much ..read more

Stimulated by Xu et al 2023.[1] Lung tissue stained for fat with Sudan III demonstrating severe pulmonary fat embolism.[1] SvN – silver needleSSN – stainless steel needleLBP – low back painPID – prolapsed intervertebral discFFA – free fatty acidCRP – C-reactive protein key to acronyms This paper popped up on PubMed last night, whilst I ..read more

Inspired by Yang et al 2022.[1] Photo by Pavel Danilyuk on Pexels.com LBPGP – low back or pelvic girdle pain during pregnancyNICE – National Institute for Health and Care ExcellenceRCTs – randomised controlled trialsQoL – quality of lifeLBP – low back painPGP – pelvic girdle pain key to acronyms I did see this review paper ..read more

Inspired by Cozacov et al 2022 and others.[1–3] Photo by Juan Pablo Serrano Arenas on Pexels.com LBP – low back painQL – quadratus lumborumHC – healthy controlUS – ultrasoundNRS – numerical rating scaleLTR – local twitch responseFM – fibromyalgiaOA – osteoarthritisDOMS – delayed onset muscle soreness key to acronyms This is a small but interesting ..read more

Inspired by Zhou et al 2022.[1] Photo by Sven Mieke on Unsplash. MA – meta-analysisNMA – network meta-analysisIPDM – individual patient data meta-analysisRA – real acupunctureSA – sham acupunctureNPSA – non-penetrative SAPSA – penetrative SANA – no acupunctureRCT – randomised controlled trialHRQoL – health-related quality of lifeANCOVA – analysis of covarianceES – effect sizeEA ..read more

Inspired by a perspective and commentaries in Pain Reports.[1–3] Photo by Mateo Krössler on Unsplash. View of Heidelberg... MSK – musculoskeletalMPS – myofascial pain syndromeWA – Western Australia key to acronyms A couple of these papers popped up on my searches on Friday 19th August, and since transport disruption had led to a cancelled clinic ..read more