Warm needling moxibustion plus PKP for vertebral compression fracture due to kidney deficiency and blood stasis: a randomized controlled trial / 针灸推拿医学（英文版）

ABSTRACT

Objective: To explore the efficacy and mechanism of warm needling moxibustion plus percutaneous kyphoplasty (PKP) for osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture (OVCF) due to kidney deficiency and blood stasis. Methods: A total of 70 OVCF patients were randomized into a control group and an observation group, with 35 cases in each group. The control group was given PKP treatment, and the observation group was treated with warm needling moxibustion on the basis of the treatment in the control group. The visual analog scale (VAS) and Oswestry disability index (ODI) were scored and the Cobb angle of fractured vertebrae was measured before and after treatment. The re-fracture rate of the adjacent vertebrae was recorded at 1-year follow-up. The serum levels of transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 and omentin-1 were measured before and after treatment. Results: After treatment, the VAS and ODI scores in both groups decreased (all P<0.05), and all the scores in the observation group were lower than those in the control group (both P<0.05). After treatment, the Cobb angle of fractured vertebrae in both groups decreased (both P<0.05), and the Cobb angle in the observation group was smaller than that in the control group (P<0.05). At 1-year follow-up, the re-fracture rate of the adjacent vertebrae in the observation group was lower than that in the control group (P<0.05). After treatment, the serum levels of TGF-β1 and omentin-1 in both groups increased significantly (all P<0.05), and the serum levels of TGF-β1 and omentin-1 in the observation group were higher than those in the control group (both P<0.05). Conclusion: The treatment of warm needling moxibustion plus PKP can relieve pain, improve dysfunction, promote healing of the injured vertebrae, and reduce the re-fracture rate of the adjacent vertebrae in patients with OVCF due to kidney deficiency and blood stasis, which may be related to the increase of serum TGF-β 1 and omentin-1 levels.