| Lumbar disc herniation (LDH) is a common spine disease and it is one of the causes of lower back pain and sciatica occurring in young people,impacting daily life. Currently, there are many therapies such as pharmaceut ical, surgical procedures, acupuncture, physical therapy, movement therapy and massage, which can be utilized. Pharmaceutical therapy has several risks, including hepatic and renal injury, as wellas the possibility of addiction.In addition, surgical operations carry great costs and hazard. And there may be complications after surgery.Acupuncture therapy is a safe, effective, cheap and acceptable treatment for LDH patients. The points to treat LDH are at the lumbar region. However, the differing acupuncture methods are too plent i ful and the therapy per iod is usual ly long. Our goal is to try to optimize acupuncture methods, improve efficacy and shorten the treatment course.According to the meridian sinew theory and the correlation between meridians and meridian sinews, LDH can be class if ied as a type of meridian s inew dysfunct ion. Based on ancient Chinese medical literature records and long-term clinical and research experiences, Huici can reduce pain in the lower back and lower extremities caused by LDH. Thus, our research focuses on observing the therapeutic effects of Huici scientifically in this trial.Eligible research subjects, complaining of LDH, were selected from Beijing Hospital Acupuncture and Massage Department. We recorded the patients’medical history, located the areas of strain, then performed Huici on specific trigger point or tender points without retaining the needle. Additionally, we evaluated patients by utilizing the Visual Analogue Scale index (VAS), Japanese Orthopaedic Association Questionnaire (JOA) and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) during both pre and post-treatment periods. Selected patients received a total of6sessions in2weeks.A total of23patients were enrolled;21completed the study, while2subjects were lost to follow-up. The outcome data of VAS, JOA, ODI scores and the JOA improvement rate were analyzed and summarized descriptively. If the data fit in a normal distribution, the t-test was used to compare variables. Otherwise, the Wilcox test was used. All analyses were conducted in the SPSS program (vcr.17.0).1. After treatment, the VAS and ODI scores deelined significantly (P<0.05), the JOA scores increased significantly (P<0.05). The Huici treatment was statistically significant, offering a therapeutic effect.2. According to the JOA improvement rate,4.76%patients showed maximal improvement,14.29%patients had moderate improvement, while19.05%patients showed minimal improvement. In9.52%of patients, the treatment was ineffective. The total efficacy rate of our study was90.48%, while the inefficiency rate was9.52%.In this self-controlled two week study, patients’pain, range of motion, and quality of life were significantly improved after receiving fluici therapy. Huici was superior to other acupuncture methods, requiring fewer sessions, a shorter course of treatment, and achieving better therapeutic effects. However, in this specific trial, the sample size was small and no control group was identified. Future studies should include a randomized controlled trial with a larger sample size, and the long-term effects should be observed. |
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