| Background:The regular treatment established for the treatment of LBP is mainly a combination of local and distant points, but a comparison study of the difference between the clinical effects of puncturing local and distal points hasn't been made yet.Objective:The main objective of this study will be to corroborate the existence or not of therapeutic effects when using acupuncture points that are not in the pain affected area, but actually are distant to this area and by doing so corroborate that the pathways described in traditional Chinese medicine called JingLuo are real and actually possess significant therapeutic effects when treating this disease. The usage of this points were taken mainly from the points suggested in the yellow emperor's canon of medicine that concern with the treatment of LBP, regardless of its etiology, that are mainly located in the buttocks, extremities, and frontal part of the foot.This trial will compare the clinical effects (if any) of puncturing only local points (located in the lower back) with the distal points described above. This trial will compare the clinical efficacy of puncturing two different anatomic sections to treat the same disease.Methods:The patients were treated mainly in the TuiNa department of the first affiliated hospital of Guangzhou university of traditional Chinese medicine. After confirming the diagnosis of LBP (Lower back pain) excluding any major disease or serious deformity by X/ray or clinical symptoms, and conforming with the inclusion criteria, established before,60 patients were selected and divided randomly into two groups, the experimental group consisted of 30 patients, and the comparison group of 30 patients. The experimental group was treated with only puncturing the local points:DaChangShu (Bladder 25), ShenShu (Kidney 23), MingMen (Governor Vessel 4) and ZhiShi (Bladder 52), and the comparison group was treated with only puncturing the distal points: WeiZhong (Bladder 40), WeiYang (Bladder 39), ChengShan (Bladder 57), FuLiu (Kidney 7,) JiaoXin (Kidney 8),TaiXi (Kidney 3) and ChengFu (Bladder 36).The treatment method was as follows:1 Acupuncture treatment course consisted of one acupuncture treatment per day for 7 times, each treatment course will be separated by 3 days, after 3 treatment courses the curative effects will be evaluated. The curative effects will be analyzed by comparing the results with pain indexed markers, as well as standard curative charts.Results:After all the treatments were accomplished, the clinical data was recollected and compute. Both groups showed high rates of statistical data regarding positive therapeutic effects for the treatment of pain in LBP. The analysis of variance with standard one-way repeated measurements was applied to all the subjects, and using the data to contrast with the usage of three quantization scores, the difference found was significant. In treating low back pain, the needling of local points with acupuncture treatment showed higher satisfactory treatment rates, than only needling distal points (both pain and VAS quantification grades were P<0.05)。Also the curative effect rate was P<0.05).Conclusion:Even though local points showed a higher rate in treating LBP, distal points also showed significant statistical data in satisfactory treating LBP. We can conclude that the local points have a greater effect mainly because they are within the affected area, thus treating the disease in a more direct way, the effect can be explained thanks to the release of pain modulators also known as encephalin's and by dredging the accumulated Qi in the channels in the area of the lower back. In the meanwhile the satisfactory rates for the distal point group can also be explained by the release of neuro-modulators, but also because of the relationship that exists between the lower back, and the bladder channel, and/or the relationship of the back with the kidney according to the traditional Chinese foundations.This study provides important statistical information regarding the therapeutic effect that can be obtained by following the channels and utilizing points that are far away from the inflicted area. This study can be regarded as a clinically comprehensive therapy for treating low back pain. Meanwhile, this study suggests that the combination of both points local and distant when used together can produce even higher satisfactory treatment rates. Furthermore more clinical trials can be executed in order to understand better the usage of distal points. This trial must also be compared to a placebo group in order to better assess the significance of the therapeutic effect achieved by both groups in this study... |
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