RESUMO
Objective To observe the difference in therapeutic efficacy between acupuncture with distant acupoints selection and proximal acupoints selection in treating acute headache.Method Sixty patients with acute headache were randomized into group A and group B, 30 cases in each group. Group A was intervened by acupuncture with distant acupoints selection, while group B was by acupoints with topical acupoints selection. The Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and Present Pain Intensity (PPI) from McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ) were observed before and after intervention, and the clinical efficacies were compared between the two groups. Result After treatment, the VAS and PPI scores were significantly different from that before treatment in both groups (P<0.01). The changes of VAS and PPI scores in group A after intervention were significantly different from that in group B (P<0.01). The total effective rate was 90.0% in group A versus 73.3% in group B, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.01). Conclusion Acupuncture with distant acupoints selection can produce a better therapeutic efficacy than acupuncture with topical acupoints selection.