One hundred and twenty-four cases of lumbar disc herniation treated with acupuncture and massage manipulation

ObjectiveTo discuss the clinical efficacy on lumbar disc herniation (LDH) treated with acupuncture and massage manipulations.MethodsOne hundred and twenty-four cases of LDH were treated with acupuncture at Tàichōng ( LR 3), Nèitíng ( ST 44), Zúlínqì ( GB 41), Yāotòngdiăn ( lumbar pain point), Túntòngdiăn ( buttock pain point) and Zuògŭshénjīngdiăn ( sciatic point) and massage manipulations [including gunfa (rolling technique), yizhichan tuifa (one-finger pushing technique), qianyin doudong fa (shaking technique under traction), anyafa (pressing technique) and zuoyou cebanfa (bilateral pulling technique)], once a day, for 3 weeks totally. The lower back pain scoring system of the Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) was adopted for the scoring before and after treatment to assess the efficacy.ResultsAt the end of treatment, JOA score was reduced to (0.95±0.32) points as compared with (6.14±0.97) points before treatment (P<0.01). Concerning to the efficacy improvement rate, 96 cases were excellent, 12 cases good, 5 cases fair and 3 cases poor. 116 cases received the follow-up visit for 6 months averagely and no case of recurrence was reported.ConclusionAcupuncture combined with massage manipulate can relieve rapidly acute pain in the lumbar region and legs and acts directly on the foci. This therapy is safe and effective, achieves the high clinical curative rate and brings less pain to the patients.