A Randomized Controlled Study Of Acupuncture For The Treatment Of Cervical Pain In Cervical Spondylosis Based On The Theory Of "neck And Waist Simultaneous Treatment"

PurposeTo compare adjusting the whole mechanical balance of the spine by "treatment of neck and waist together"(neck-waist treatment)acupuncture method with improving the local mechanical balance of the cervical spine by neck treatment acupuncture method towards treating cervical spondylosis localization(CSL).To observe the difference of clinical effect between the two groups in easing the neck pain symtom of CSL,in addition to exploring the mechanism of the "treatment of neck and waist together" theory by referring to the relevant literature combined with modern physiology pathology,biomechanics and anatomy to provide a feasible reference for the clinical treatment of this disease.Method58 CSL patients which comply with the inclusion criteria of this study are randomly divided into two groups:27 cases in the neck-waist treatment group(treatment group)and 31 cases in the neck treatment group(control group).In the control group,Fengchi acupoint,Tianzhu acupoint,Futu acupoint,Jiaji acupoint of neck two are selected correspondingly according to the observation and palpation method,and the target muscles relating to each acupoint are released by the method of quick acupuncture and twitch of muscles to induce the target muscles to twitch or to reduce reducing the local tension;the adjunct acupoints(both sides)are selected according to the syndrome differentiation of traditional Chinese medicine and needled using the uniform reinforcing-reducing method then subsequently retained for 15 minutes once acquiring the desired effect——qi sensation(De Qi).On the basis of the control group,the "neck-waist treatment" group selects the corresponding external oblique muscle,the internal oblique muscle,the gluteus medius and the gluteus maximus by observing the form and structure of the back of the body and the palpation of the local skin.Through acupuncturing the body surface positive and reactive points,the target muscles are released using the quick acupuncture and twitch of muscles method to induce the target muscles to twitch or to reduce the local tension.Each subject of both groups is treated once every 3 days,to a total of 10 times.Patients should fill in the simplified McGill Pain Questionnaire(SF-MPQ)and Northwick Park Neck Pain Questionnaire(NPQ)before treatment,after treatment,and during the follow up after the treatment respectively.By comparing the scores of the above-mentioned questionnaires at different periods,the efficacy of the two groups are evaluated.SPSS 22.0 software is used to analyze the data of said questionnaires,P<0.05 means that the difference between the results is statistically significant.Results1.Comparison between "neck-waist treatment" group(treatment group)and neck treatment group(control group)before and after treatment regarding the total score of NPQ:There is no significant difference(P>0.05)between the groups after 10 times of acupuncture treatment.There is a significant difference(P<0.01)between the groups after a one month follow up,and the mean score of NPQ in the treatment group is lower than that of the control group.This indicates that after 10 times of acupuncture treatment,the two groups have the same effect in improving the quality of life for patients with cervical spondylosis.The follow up after 1 month shows that the "neck-waist treatment" group has significant advantages over the neck treatment group in the long-term effect.2.Comparison between "neck-waist treatment" group(treatment group)and neck treatment group(control group)before and after treatment regarding the total score of SF-MPQ:There is no significant difference(P>0.05)between the groups after 10 times of acupuncture treatment.There is a significant difference(P<0.01)between the groups after a one month follow up and the mean score of SF-MPQ in the treatment group is lower than that of the control group.This indicates that after 10 times of acupuncture treatment,the two groups have the same effect in lowering the degree of pain for patients with cervical spondylosis.The follow up after 1 month shows that the "neck-waist treatment" group has a significant advantage over the neck treatment group in maintaining the effect.3.Comparison between "neck-waist treatment" group(treatment group)and neck treatment group(control group)before and after treatment regarding the evaluation of the curative effect according to the total score of SF-MPQ:After 10 times of treatment,the effective rate of the treatment group and control group is 92.59%and 93.55%respectively,there is no significant difference(P>0.05)between the groups which means that they have the same effect.For the one month follow up after treatment,the total effective rate of the treatment group and the control group is 88.89%and 58.06%respectively.The difference is statistically significant(P<0.01),indicating that the long-term effective rate of the "neck-waist treatment" group is significantly higher than that of the neck treatment group.4.Comparison of VAS scores between "neck-waist treatment" group(treatment group)and neck treatment group(control group):After 10 times of treatment,there is no significant difference(P>0.05)in VAS scores between the two groups;after one month of follow up,there is a significant difference(P<0.01)between the two groups,indicating that the long-term effect of "neck-waist treatment" group in relieving the neck pain symptoms of CSL patients is significantly better than that of the neck treatment group.Conclusion1.The use of neck-waist acupuncture method in aligning the mechanical balance of the spine,and neck treatment acupuncture method in improving the mechanical balance of the cervical spine bring about significant effects in easing the pain caused by CSL and improving the quality of life of patients with cervical spondylosis.2.There is no significant difference in the short-term effect between the two groups in the treatment of CSL upon easing spinal pain and improving the quality of life of patients.However,in maintaining the long-term effect,the neck-waist method group is significantly better than the neck treatment group.