Electroacupuncture in Treating Severe Functional Constipation：A Randomized Controlled Trial / 上海针灸杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To observe the clinical efficacy of electroacupuncture in treating severe functional constipation. Method Seventy patients with severe functional constipation were randomized into a treatment group (35 cases) and a control group (35 cases). The treatment group was intervened by deeply needling bilateral Tianshu (ST25) and Fujie (SP14) with electrical stimulation in addition to ordinary acupuncture at bilateral Shangjuxu (ST37);the control group was by superficially needling the areas beside bilateral Tianshu, Fujie and Shangjuxu with sham electroacupuncture. The two groups were both treated for successive 8 weeks and were followed up for another 3 months. The complete spontaneous bowel movements (CSBMs), Bristol stool form Scale (BSFS) and difficulty in bowel movements were observed every week. Result The two groups both showed significant improvements in average weekly CSBMs (P0.05). Conclusion Electroacupuncture can improve CSBMs in severe functional constipation, but it’s insignificantly different from sham acupuncture in improving stool form and defecation difficulty.