[Correlation between the number of sessions and therapeutical effect in patients suffering from low back pain treated with acupuncture: a randomized controlled blind study]. / Correlazione fra numero di sedute ed effetto terapeutico nel trattamento di pazienti affetti da dolore lombare sottoposti ad agopuntura. Studio randomizzato e controllato in cieco.

AIM: The aim of this study is to verify the therapeutical effect of acupuncture reflexotherapy in low back pain treatment and to test if the number of sessions could influence the results at the end of therapy. METHODS: Thirty-one patients, suffering from low back pain, were randomly divided into 2 groups: the first group (16 patients, 5 males and 11 females, mean age 57.17 +/- 13.06 years) received 5 weekly somatic acupuncture sessions; the second group (15 patients, 4 males and 11 females, mean age 49.36 +/- 11.98 years) underwent 10 weekly somatic acupuncture sessions. The acupoints used were the same in both groups. Pain was monitored by a daily self rating chart. Pain was recorded using a card filled in by the patient, every day. At the end of therapy, a remaining pain scored between 0% and 50% of original pain was considered a good result; unsatisfactory result was a pain between 51% and 80%; poor result a score of 81% or more of original pain. RESULTS: In the first group, 11 patients (68.75%) obtained a good result, 1 patient (6.25%) an unsatisfactory result and 4 patients (25%) a poor result. The remaining pain was 65.5% of the original pain (unsatisfactory result). In the second second group, 13 patients (86.66%) obtained a good result and 2 patients (13.33%) a poor result. The remaining pain was 43.9% of the original pain (good result). CONCLUSION: Ten sessions of acupuncture seem to gain a better therapeutical effect than 5 in the treatment of chronic low back pain.

Comparison between superficial and deep acupuncture in the treatment of the shoulder's myofascial pain: a randomized and controlled study.

The principle aim of the present work is the evaluation of the importance of the variable "depth" of needle insertion in the determination of acupuncture's therapeutic results. A randomized clinical trial carried out on 44 patients belonging to two groups of 22 each, suffering from shoulder myofascial pain: group A: superficial acupuncture; group B: deep acupuncture. All of them subjected to the same model of treatment with 13 needles and the treatment of the most painful 4 trigger points (TP) found in the shoulder's area. In the group A patients, the needles were introduced in the skin at a depth of 2 mm, on the TP. In the group B patients, the needles were placed deeply both in the muscular acupuncture points and in the TP. The treatment was planned for a cycle of 8 sessions, the first 4 to be performed twice a week, the last 4 weekly. The intensity of pain was evaluated with the McGill Pain Questionnaire before beginning the therapy, at the end of the therapy, and at the follow-up after 1 and 3 months. Both techniques had efficacy in controlling pain. A statistically significant difference rose between the two needling techniques at the end of the treatment and at the follow up after one and three months. Deep acupuncture shows to be better at all times and this underlines the importance of the muscular afferences in acupunctural stimulation in the control of pain.