ABSTRACT
Objective To observe the clinical efficacy of acupuncture with elongate needle plus red light radiation in treating post-herpetic neuralgia.Method Seventy patients with post-herpetic neuralgia were randomized into a treatment group and a control group, 35 cases in each group. The treatment group was intervened by acupuncture with elongate needle plus red light radiation, while the control group was by orally taking Pregabalin capsules. Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and Quality of Life (QOL) were observed before and after intervention, and the clinical efficacies were compared between the two groups.Result The total effective rate was 97.1% in the treatment group, versus 71.4% in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). After treatment, VAS and QOL scores were significantly changed in both groups (P<0.05). The VAS and QOL scores in the treatment group were significantly different from that in the control group after treatment (P<0.05).Conclusion Acupuncture with elongate needle plus red light radiation is effective in relieving post-herpetic neuralgia.