"Acupuncture Treatment For Lumbago In Republic Of Macedonia"

Background:The Statistical data regarding musculo-skeletal complaints shows that lower back pain is the most common.In this study,a special attention was devoted to lumbago as one of the most frequently reported complaints,which affects quality of life and reduces social and economic efficacy.The term Lumbago means pain anywhere in the lower back region(including the buttocks)below the lower border of the rib cage.Lumbago and lower back pain are discussed together as they share similar etiology,pathology and treatment.There are many types of lumbago,of which the most commonly mentioned in practice are:Acute lumbar sprain,Sciatica and Discus hernia.Objectives:Purpose of the research in this study is to conduct a Survey about acupuncture treatment for lumbago in the Public Institution "Center for Traditional Chinese Medicine" in Republic of Macedonia.Meaning of the research is to show the effectiviness of acupuncture treatment for lumbago applied in TCM clinic in Republic of Macedonia,versus Conventional Western medicine in the treatment of lumbago.Material and Methods:Research was created in Republic of Macedonia,at Public Institution "Center for Traditional Chinese Medicine"and Department of Physical Therapy at University "Goce Delcev".In order to obtain a complete picture of the treatment of patients with diagnosed llumbago with the methods of traditional Chinese medicine and the effects achieved with its application,was conducted a Survey with the employees TCM practitioners and patients who were treated in PI "Center for TCM".Acupuncture Survey questio nnaires used in our research are made according to the guidelines and recommendations for survey templates and tips by of Survey Documentation and Analysis(SDA)and Survey Monkey.Results:Total of 4984 questionnaires were collected,including 1176 questionnaires for patients with musculoskeletal diseases and 503 questionnaires for patients with low back pain.Total of 780?survey requests were sent out to potential survey participants 11 between May and October 2018.Of them,503(64.48%)responded to the survey.277(35.51%)of the potential survey participants did not respond to the survey.From a total of 503 patients who responded to the survey,279 of them(55.47%)are acupuncture-experienced patients,while the remaining 44.53%,or 224 patients are acupuncture-anexperienced people with a history of lumbago.11 items were selected for the Survey questionnaire for patients to ensure breadth of coverage,including Participant characteristics(gender,age,level of education,occupation),primary complaint or reason for the consultation,items assessing knowledge of effects,adverse effects,degrees of pain before the beginning and at the end of the acupuncture treatment course,regulation,and access.Conclusion:Western medical treatments for lumbago includes medications,physical therapy and exercise,which is a long-term process with short-term effects and often recurrence of symptoms.For these reasons,more and more patients are interested for alternative methods of treatment of lumbago pain,and the most attractive is TCM and acupuncture.Lumbago can be treated adequately and successfully according to the Chinese diagnosis and treatment,without any reference to Western medicine.Acupuncture can be extremely effective in the treatment of both acute and chronic lumbago,more so than Western medical treatments.