Acupuncture vs. pills: which works better for slipped discs?

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * aged 19 to 69 years. * lower back pain that has persisted for at least 1 month. * a Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) score of 5 or higher for either lower back pain or radiating leg pain over the past three consecutive days. * confirmed lumbar disc herniation on MRI that can explain the lower back pain. * who have provided written informed consent and agreed to participate in the clinical study. Exclusion Criteria: * diagnosed with specific severe diseases that could be the cause of lower back pain or leg pain (e.g., spinal metastasis, acute fractures, and spinal dislocation). * showing progressive neurological deficits or severe neurological symptoms. * with pain originating from soft tissue disorders other than the spine (e.g., tumors, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, gout). * with other chronic conditions (e.g., stroke and myocardial infarction, renal disease, diabetic neuropathy, dementia, epilepsy) that may interfere with the treatment effect or result interpretation. * taking steroids, immunosuppressive drugs, psychiatric medications, or other medications that may impact the study results. * acupuncture or nerve block treatment is inappropriate or unsafe, such as those with a history of bleeding disorders, receiving anticoagulant therapy, or diagnosed with uncontrolled diabetes. * taken non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or other pain-affecting drugs or received acupuncture treatment within the past 5 days. * Pregnant women, those planning pregnancy, or breastfeeding women. * within 3 months after lumbar surgery. * who have not completed participation in another clinical study within the past month or have plans to participate in another clinical study within 6 months from the selection date or during the study participation and follow-up period. Inability to provide written informed consent. \- Other cases where the researchers determine that participation in the clinical study would be difficult.