HLT540 v10R Electro-Acupuncture in Conjunction with Exercise for the Treatment of Chronic Low-Back Pain

Study Analysis
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Study Analysis
The study attempts to determine the efficacy of using Electro-Acupuncture (EA) as a complement to exercise in the management of Lower Back Pain (LBP). The study notes that the incidence of LBP is prevalent in the United States. An approximate 31 million people suffer from LBP in the United States at any given time. 39% of Hong Kong adults have experienced one incident of LBP since birth. LBP has a direct correlation with reduced productivity, where individuals are unable to work at high levels compared to when they are healthy. The study thus, attempts to determine if EA can be used as alternative to western medication in the management of LBP CITATION Sup05 \l 1033 (Sukamolson, 2005).
The study utilizes t tests to conduct data analysis. The test was used to compare the demographic characteristics and the variables of the other 2 groups. There are a number of reasons why the t test was chosen which will be analyzed below at length. The t test is simple to operate and apply on data sets. The test when applied to the output from data collected in the study, allows the researcher to determine how the mean from a particular cohort differs from that of another. The researcher can thus, infer any if relationship, where applicable, exists. The t test is a robust data analytical tool. Thus, the t test can be applied even where data sets have unequal variances. Noting, that t test samples assume a normal distribution of data and similar variance of the values. The robust nature of the t test, allows the researcher to use it a different number of scenarios that do not necessarily conform to the norm CITATION Mor14 \l 1033 (Morgan, 2...