Comparative Analysis Of Distal Point Meridian- Relation Based Acupuncture With Standard Electroacupuncture In The Treatment Of Neck And Upper Back Pain

Objective:To compare the therapeutic effect of distal point acupuncture based on classical concepts from the Nei Jing and I Ching with local electroacupuncture.Methods:(Under the direction of Dr Ai Bing-Wei)With and increase in the use of local electroacupuncture in the treatment of pain,there becomes less need in the understanding of channel theory besides selecting pointson the channels or muscle groups of the affected anatomical area. Though proveneffective, local electroacupuncture puts little emphasis on the historical development ofchannel theory or the theories of Qi dynamics established and passed on by doctors ofprevious generations. While local electro-acupuncture conforms to the westembiomedical model more succinctly and classical channel theory arguably does not, thisstudy provides a comparative analysis of distal point acupuncture andlocal electro-acupuncture in the treatment of neck and upper back pain.Results:The study found from the start of the study and the 5th treatment, pain intensity based on a 10 point visual analogue scale decreased by a mean±SD of 5.77 or 84.66% ±0.72 or 11.1% in Group A (Distal Method) and,2.84 or 44.03%±1.36 or 21.1% in Group B (Electroacupuncture). Furthermore, the average pain relief felt after one treatment in Group A (distal method) had a mean ± SD of 4.4 ± 1.93 on a 10 point analogue pain a scale or 67.48% ±29.60% improvement in symptoms. Group B (Electroacupuncture) had a mean ± SD of 1.69 ± 1.68 or 26.20% ± 25.69% improvement in symptoms. By the end of five treatments although both groups had improvement of symptoms, Group A outperformed Group B by 2.86 points on a 10 point analogue scale or an overall greater improvement of 40.63%. In Group A, 100% of patients showed various degrees of symptom reduction with complete resolution in close to 69.69% of cases. In Group B 84.84% of patients showed various degrees of relief with complete resolution of symptoms in 8 or 24.24% of cases.Conclusion:This study showed that both distal method acupuncture and local electroacupuncturewere effective in treating pain of the upper back and neck. The distal method however, outperformed local electro-acupuncture in several key areas including overall pain relief, immediate pain relief, average number of treatments needed for complete relief of symptoms and ease of administration. Group B did show a slight edge statistically in continued improvement at the two week follow-up.