Effect of warm needling therapy on nerve conduction in patients with occupational hand-arm vibration disease / 中国职业医学

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of warm needling therapy on the conduction of hand-arm motor nerve and sensory nerve in patients with occupational hand-arm vibration disease(HAVD). METHODS: Male occupational HAVD patients were divided into control group(39 cases) and experimental group(36 cases) by random number table method. The control group received routine therapy, while the experimental group was treated with routine therapy plus warm needling therapy five times a week for four consecutive weeks. The changes on the conduction of motor nerve and sensory nerve in these two groups before and after treatment were compared. RESULTS: Before treatment, the motor nerve conduction velocity(MCV), distal motor latency(DML), compound muscle action potential amplitude(CMAP), sensory nerve conduction velocity(SCV) and sensory nerve action potential amplitude(SNAP) of the median nerve and ulnar nerve in the two groups were compared, and there was no statistically significant difference(all P>0.05). After treatment, the MCV and SCV of median nerve and ulnar nerve in the experimental group were accelerated(all P<0.05), the DML of median nerve and ulnar nerve were shortened(all P<0.01), and the CMAP of median nerve increased compared with the control group(P<0.01). However, there was no significant difference in the CMAP of ulnar nerve and SNAP of median nerve and ulnar nerve(all P>0.05). CONCLUSION: Warm needling therapy can improve the conduction of motor nerve and sensory nerve. Warm needling therapy might be able to promote the repair of injury in axons and myelin sheaths.