Observation On The Clinical Efficacy Of Buccal Acupuncture In The Treatment Of Heel Pain

Objective:To investigate the effect of cheek acupuncture and traditional acupuncture on the treatment of heel pain and the effectiveness of cheek acupuncture in the immediate pain relief of painful heel syndrome.Methods:60 patients with heel pain that visited Dongzhimen Hospital between March 2019 to Dec 2019 were divided into the cheek acupuncture group and traditional acupuncture group,with 30 patients per group.Based on the theory of holographic therapy and cheek acupuncture,cheek acupuncture acupoints foot,ankle,knee,sacral,lumbar and the acupoint between the foot and ankle on the diseased side were selected for the cheek acupuncture experimental group.For the traditional acupuncture group,acupoints Zusanli(ST-36),Yanglingquan(GB-34),Taixi(KI-3),Zhaohai(KI-6),Dazhong(KI-4),Fuliu(KI-7),Xuanzhong(GB-39)and Ashi were used for the control group.Patients in each group received acupuncture treatment based on the above acupoints,thrice a week for 10 treatments.They were assessed based on Short-form McGill Pain Questionnaire(SF-MPQ),including Pain Rating Index(PRI),Visual Analogue Scale(VAS)Pain Scale and Present Pain Intensity(PPI)Scale.Assessment was made prior to the treatment,and at the end of the tenth treatment.Also,observations of the immediate pain relief were made after the first treatment.The clinical efficacy and safety indicators were compared between the two groups.Results:(1)57 cases were completed in the experiment,with a total of 3 dropout cases,and a total dropout rate of 5.00%.In the cheek acupuncture group,28 cases were completed,with 2 dropouts.In the traditional acupuncture group,29 cases were completed,with 1 dropout.(2)Prior to experiment,the baseline data of two groups,including their age,gender,duration of disease,height,weight,body mass index(BMI),PRI scores,VAS scores and PPI scores,were compared,and there are no significant differences between the two groups(P>0.05).(3)After completion of all the treatments,the total effective treatment rate of the cheek acupuncture group is 96.48%and the total effective treatment rate of the traditional acupuncture group is at 96.55%.There are no significant differences between the effective treatment rate of the two groups(P>0.05).(4)In both groups,by comparing PRI,PPI and VAS scores at pre-treatment and immediately after the first treatment,there are significant differences in the scores in within the groups(P<0.05),but there are no significant differences in the scores between the two groups at each point of comparison(P>0.05).(5)In both groups,by comparing PRI,PPI and VAS scores at pre-treatment and after the 10th treatment there are significant differences in thescores in within the groups(P<0.05),but there are no significant differences in the scores between the two groups at the point of comparison(P>0.05).Conclusion:There are no significant differences between the clinical efficacy of cheek acupuncture and traditional acupuncture for the treatment of heel pain.Both methods are efficient in providing immediate pain relief and in the treatment of heel pain,improving the quality of life of heel pain patients.With considerations of the advantages of cheek acupuncture such as its safety characteristics as well as it being painless compared to traditional acupuncture,cheek acupuncture is considered as an effective method for the treatment of heel pain with minimal discomfort.