OBJECTIVE: To investigate the quality and methods of clinical research literature published in foreign Science Citation Index(SCI) journals studying the treatment of low back pain with acupuncture.To conduct a comparative study with clinical research literature published in Chinese core domestic journals,and to understand the prospects of current research trends of acupuncture clinical studies in Western countries and China.METHODS: Studies on clinical acupuncture treatment of low back pain in English SCI journals and four Chinese core domestic journals dated from 2002 to 2012 were sourced and summarized for this study. Objective analysis and evaluation on the differences in subject and scope of study on low back pain by foreign and Chinese researchers were conducted.RESULTS: Forty-seven English studies and 115 Chinese studies met our inclusion criteria. A keyword search revealed different kinds of low back pain related conditions in English and Chinese studies.The English studies were broad in scope, while the Chinese studies were more focused. There were also differences in the understanding and definition of concepts and study orientation.CONCLUSION: More study should be undertaken to understand the contradictions that acupuncture faces in view of modern research to further advance the field.