This special issue of Physical Therapy Reviews brings together articles predominantly on acupuncture but with a flavour of complementary medicine as a whole. The presented papers range from a clinical case study to a systematic review of the literature and encompass material on the education of physiotherapists in the use of acupuncture as a treatment modality, the biopsychosocial model of treatment and adverse events.
In the free article that the issue includes, Acupuncture: moving from mysticism to evidence based practice, Daniel Kerr states that “The last few years have seen an increased acceptance of acupuncture in mainstream clinical practice with the National Institute of Clinical Excellence recommending its use in the treatment of persistent non-specific low back pain. Similarly the use of acupuncture has been advocated as a treatment modality in the management of chronic low back pain by the American Pain Society. This increasing acceptance, however, does not negate the need for future research in this area but is encouragement for researchers to continue to investigate the benefits of acupuncture.”
The practice of acupuncture in physiotherapy is one that appears to be continuing. Given the growth and development of the practice it is important that the practice of acupuncture and other CAM interventions continue to be supported by robust research activity in its many forms.