Effect of heat-producing needling technique on the local skin temperature:A clinical study

热刺法对皮肤局部温度的影响:一项临床研究

Objective:This clinical study was performed to examine the influence of heat-producing acupuncture(HPA)treatment on the local skin temperature of Zusanli(足三里ST36)acupoint in healthy participants.Methods:30 healthy participants received four successive sessions of heat-producing acupuncture(HPA),non-acupoint HPA(NAHPA),normal stable acupuncture(Norm)and non-invasive sham acupuncture(Sham)on the ST36 acupoint in random order.Within each treatment session,the local skin temperature of ST36 acupoint and basal body temperature of each participant were measured at 1 min before needle insertion(T1 B),just after needle insertion and manipulation(T0),5 min after needle insertion(T5)and 5 min after needle removal(T5 A).Visual Analogue Scale(VAS)scores of the participants’perceived needling and heat sensation felt during the acupuncture treatment period(T0-T5)were also recorded on a scale of 1 to 10.Results:Intra-session group statistical analyses of the different time points in the HPA treatment session group demonstrates that ST36 local skin temperature remained relatively stable between T1 B and T0,increased significantly between T0 and T5 and decreased significantly between T5 and T5 A.For intersession group statistical analysis of all treatment session groups,the increase in local skin temperature of ST36 acupoint between T0 and T5 in the HPA treatment session group was significantly higher than those of the NAHPA treatment session group(P<0.01),Norm treatment session group(P<0.01)and Sham treatment session group(P<0.01).The decrease in local skin temperature of ST36 acupoint between T5 and T5 A in the HPA treatment session group was also significantly more than those of NAHPA treatment session group(P<0.05),Norm treatment session group(P<0.01)and Sham treatment session group(P<0.001).Conclusion:Our study provides evidence that HPA treatment performed significantly better than the other three treatments in elevating the local skin temperature of ST36 acupoint temporarily.Our results also align with those of many previous clinical studies on HPA and related acupuncture manipulations.