Objective: To observe the clinical effect of acupuncture stimulation of "Yaotong"-point (one acupoint of balance acupuncture therapy) and Ashi-points combined with patients' lumbar movement in the treatment of acute lumbar sprain.
Methods: Forty-six acute lumbar sprain patients were randomized into treatment group (26 cases) and control group (20 cases) using a random number table. The patients of the treatment group were treated by acupuncture stimulation of "Yaotong"-point[above Yintang (EX-HN 3)] and local Ashi-points for 20 min, and were asked to move the waist simultaneously during acupuncture stimulation. The treatment was conducted once every other day, 3 times a week, one week in total. Those of the control group were treated by oral administration of loxoprofen sodium tablets (60 mg, twice a day, for one week). The pain severity of lumbago and motor function were assessed by using visual analogue scale(VAS) and present pain intensity(PPI)and lumbar range of motion(ROM) separately.
Results: Following the treatment, of the 20 and 26 acute lumbar sprain patients in the control and treatment groups, 6(30.0%)and 14(53.8%)were cured, 9 (45.0%) and 11 (42.4%) experienced an improvement in their symptoms, 5 (25.0%) and 1 (3.8%) was invalid, with the effective rates being 75.0% and 96.2%, respectively. Compared with pre-treatment, the ROM and VAS scores were significantly decreased in both the control and treatment groups post-treatment (P<0.01), and the therapeutic effects of the treatment group were obviously superior to those of the control group in the effective rate and in the improvement of lumbar motion function and in pain relief (P<0.05,P<0.01).
Conclusions: Acupuncture treatment plus patients' lumbar movement is effective in reducing lumbar pain and improving lumbar motor function in the treatment of acute lumbar sprain.