An alternative treatment for back pain may help those looking for options other than costly traditional care that may lead to annual expenses of up to $37 billion.

Researchers at the Group Health Center for Health Studies in Seattle found that even toothpick simulations of acupuncture may relieve patients’ symptoms more than traditional medicine in results developed from a trial involving more than 600 patients.

Dr Daniel Cherkin and his cohorts split the participants into four groups: one received acupuncture from experts, another group learned how to perform the techniques themselves, a third group received toothpick simulations and the final group received regular care.

After about two months, they found that 20 percent more of those receiving any kind of acupuncture care reported fewer symptoms of lower back pain than those receiving standard treatments, and in a follow-up one year later, the acupuncture recipients still showed a 10 percent improvement in symptoms compared to those who had standard medical care.

"For clinicians and patients seeking a relatively safe and effective treatment for a condition for which conventional treatments are often ineffective, various methods of acupuncture point stimulation appear to be reasonable options," wrote the study’s authors.