Objective: To observe the clinical effect of "metal hook fishing" (MHF)-like needling technique combined with Tuina manipulation in the treatment of scapulohumeral periarthritis.
Methods: A total of 72 patients with scapulohumeral periarthritis were randomly divided into MHF-like needling (MHF) and conventional needling groups (n=36 in each group). For patients of the GHF group, the doctor pressed the acupoint with the left index finger, held the disposable acupuncture needles to insert into the Jianqian, Jianyu (LI15), Jianliao (SJ5), Jianzheng (SJ9) and Ashi-point respectively with the right hand, waited for qi-arriving, twirled the needles forward about 3 to 6 times. When a tightened feeling was achieved beneath the needle tip, the doctor held the needle body to slightly shake it 3 to 6 times which mimicked a fish to swallow a hook, kept the situation for a while till relaxation, followed by retaining the needle for 30 min and then withdrew it slowly. Afterwards, the doctor performed Tuina manipulation at the upper limbs for 20 to 30 min. For patients of the conventional needling group, the same acupoints were needled and stimulated with the uniform reducing and reinforcing method for 1 min, followed by retaining the needles for 30 min. Then, massage was performed for 20 to 30 min in the same way as those in the MHF group. The treatment was conducted once daily, 6 times a week for 2 weeks. After the treatment, the visual analogue scale (VAS) was used to assess the pain degree, the range of motion (ROM) scale of the shoulder joint adopted to assess the function, and the activity of daily living (ADL) scale used to assess the patients' daily living ability. The therapeutic effects of the two groups were evaluated after the treatment.
Results: After the treatment, the VAS scores of the two groups were notably decreased (P<0.05), being significantly lower in the GHF group than in the conventional needling group (P<0.05). The ROM score and ADL score of the two groups were obviously increased (P<0.05), being significantly higher in the MHF group than in the conventional needling group (P<0.05). Of the 36 cases in the conventional needling and MHF groups, 7 and 17 were cured, 11 and 12 experienced remarkable improvement, 13 and 4 were improved, and 5 and 3 were ineffective, with the total effective rate being 86.1% （31/36） and 91.7% (33/36), respectively. The total effective rate of MHF group was evidently higher than that of the conventional needling group (P<0.05).
Conclusion: Both MHF and conventional needling is effective in relieving scapulohumeral periarthritis, and the effect of MHF is ob-viously superior to that of conventional needling in relieving pain state and improving function of the affected shoulder joint.
Keywords: Acupuncture; Conventional needling; Metal hook fishing-like needling; Scapulohumeral periarthritis.