Assessment of the Clinical Efficacy of Superficial Needling Therapy for Nape Myofascitis / 上海针灸杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the clinical efficacy of superficial needling therapy for nape myofascitis. Method Seventy patients were randomly allocated to superficial needling and Western medicine groups, 35 cases each. The superficial needling group received superficial needling therapy once every other day, three times a week, two weeks as a course. The Western medicine group took celecoxib (Celebrex) 200 mg twice daily, two weeks as a course. The Pain Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) score, the tenderness score and the Neck Disability Index (NDI) score were recorded in the two groups of patients before and after treatment. Result The VAS score, the tenderness score and the NDI score decreased in the two groups of patients after treatment compared with before (P<0.05, P<0.01) and decreased more in the superficial needling group than in the Western medicine group (P<0.05). The cure and marked efficacy rate and the total efficacy rate were 57.1%and 94.3%, respectively, in the superficial needling group, which were higher than 31.4%and 77.1%in the Western medicine group (P<0.05). Conclusion Superficial needling therapy can better relieve the symptoms and is more effective than oral celecoxib in treating nape myofascitis.