ABSTRACT
Objective To observe the clinical efficacy of qi-guiding needling plus electroacupuncture in treating intractable low back pain after lumbar disc herniation surgery and the change of infrared thermal image.Method Totally 172 patients with intractable low back pain after lumbar disc herniation surgery were randomized into a treatment group and a control group, 86 cases in each group. The treatment group was intervened by qi-guiding needling plus electroacupuncture, while the control group was by electroacupuncture alone. The infrared thermal image of the affected low back area was observed before and after intervention, and the clinical efficacies were compared between the two groups.Result The change of infrared thermal image of the affected low back area in the treatment group after intervention was significantly different from that in the control group (P<0.01). The total effective rate and the recovery-markedly-effective rate were respectively 87.2% and 66.3% in the treatment group, versus 74.4% and 37.2% in the control group, and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05,P<0.01).Conclusion Qi-guiding needling plus electroacupuncture can mitigate the intractable low back pain after lumbar disc herniation surgery.