ABSTRACT
Objective To compare the clinical efficacies of electroacupuncture plus rehabilitation training versus electroacupuncture alone in treating lumbar intervertebral disc herniation and evaluate the therapeutic effect of electroacupuncture plus rehabilitation training. Method Seventy-two patients with lumbar intervertebral disc herniation were randomly allocated to a treatment group of 36 cases and a control group of 36 cases. The control group received electroacupuncture at Huatuo jiaji(Ex-B2) points. In addition to electroacupuncture, the treatment group received lumbodorsal muscle stretch training according to the outcome (forward flexion and backward extension) obtained using the Turgunmed testing and evaluating system. Isokinetic muscle strength and the activity were measured and the ODI lumbago score and the VAS pain score were recorded before and after treatment. Result There were statistically significant differences in isokinetic muscle strength and the VAS pain score (P0.05) between the treatment and control groups. Conclusion Electroacupuncture plus rehabilitation training is more effective than electroacupuncture alone in improving isokinetic muscle strength and the VAS pain score in patients with lumbar intervertebral disc herniation.