摘要
Background:Lumbar disc herniation and sciatica are major causes of disability in health care.A variety of non-operative treatments are available,include acupuncture,while there is little long-term evidence to indicate efficacy of acupuncture.Objective:To observe the long-term clinical effects of lumbar disc herniation and sciatica treated by acupuncture.Methods:Based on acupuncture point selections of the traditional Chinese medicine meridian theory,we developed the treatment strategies for acupuncture in a consensus process with the author's clinical and teaching practice.All 112 outpatients previously visited orthopedic surgeons or neurosurgeons and underwent(magnetic resonance imaging)MRI studies prior to having electric acupuncture treatment.This study used Oswestry Disability Index(ODI)-self-comparison and showed that acupuncture treatments for lumber disc herniation and sciatica demonstrated significant improvement in long term clinical outcomes.A total of 112 lumbar disc herniation and sciatica cases were treated with electric acupuncture for pain relief and function improvement from July 1998 to December 2006.Results:All the 112 cases filled out the ODI forms prior to receiving treatment.Among the 112 patients,23 of them did not finish the 6-week treatments.89 cases were evaluated with ODI after 6-week acupuncture treatments.Of those 89 cases,67 cases were followed up with ODI 10 years later.Significant improvement from the pre-to post-acupuncture ODI scores was observed(P<0.05).The 10-year follow-up ODI showed significant improvement with long-term results(P<0.05).Conclusion:Electric acupuncture for lumbar disc herniation and sciatica showed satisfactory long-term clinical effects.
Background:Lumbar disc herniation and sciatica are major causes of disability in health care.A variety of non-operative treatments are available,include acupuncture,while there is little long-term evidence to indicate efficacy of acupuncture.Objective:To observe the long-term clinical effects of lumbar disc herniation and sciatica treated by acupuncture.Methods:Based on acupuncture point selections of the traditional Chinese medicine meridian theory,we developed the treatment strategies for acupuncture in a consensus process with the author’s clinical and teaching practice.All 112 outpatients previously visited orthopedic surgeons or neurosurgeons and underwent(magnetic resonance imaging)MRI studies prior to having electric acupuncture treatment.This study used Oswestry Disability Index(ODI)-self-comparison and showed that acupuncture treatments for lumber disc herniation and sciatica demonstrated significant improvement in long term clinical outcomes.A total of 112 lumbar disc herniation and sciatica cases were treated with electric acupuncture for pain relief and function improvement from July 1998 to December 2006.Results:All the 112 cases filled out the ODI forms prior to receiving treatment.Among the 112 patients,23 of them did not finish the 6-week treatments.89 cases were evaluated with ODI after 6-week acupuncture treatments.Of those 89 cases,67 cases were followed up with ODI 10 years later.Significant improvement from the pre-to post-acupuncture ODI scores was observed(P<0.05).The 10-year follow-up ODI showed significant improvement with long-term results(P<0.05).Conclusion:Electric acupuncture for lumbar disc herniation and sciatica showed satisfactory long-term clinical effects.
作者
Hua GU
顾华(American Acupuncture Academy)
