Therapeutic Observation of LU’s Heat-producing Needling (Shao Shan Huo) for Cervical Spondylotic Radiculopathy / 上海针灸杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To evaluate the short-term and long-term therapeutic efficacies of LU’s heat-producing needling (Shao Shan Huo) in treating cervical spondylotic radiculopathy (CSR). MethodTwo hundred patients with CSR were randomized into a treatment group and a control group, 100 in each group. The treatment group was intervened by using heat-producing needling method, while the control group was by regular acupuncture technique with even reinforcing-reducing manipulations. For both groups, the treatment was given once a day, 10 sessions as a treatment course. The Pain Rating Index (PRI), Present Pain Intensity (PPI), and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) were adopted for observation before intervention and after two treatment courses. The clinical efficacies were compared between the two groups.Result Right after the intervention and in the 3-month follow-up, the VAS, PPI, and PRI scores were significantly different from that before intervention in both groups (P<0.01). There were significant differences in comparing the VAS, PPI, and PRI scores between the two groups after intervention and in the 3-month follow-up (P<0.01). The VAS, PPI, and PRI scores in the treatment group right after intervention were markedly different from that in the 3-month follow-up (P<0.01). The total effective rate was 98.0% in the treatment group versus 79.0% in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.01).Conclusion LU’s heat-producing needling is an effective way in treating CSR, as it can significantly reduce pain intensity, and improve other symptoms and body signs.