Abdominal acupuncture combined with scarring moxibustion at Qìhăi ( CV 6) for 15 cases of periarthritis of shoulder

ObjectiveTo verify the therapeutic effect of abdominal acupuncture combined with scarring moxibustion at Qìhăi ( CV 6) on periarthritis of shoulder.MethodsThirty cases of periarthritis of shoulder were randomly divided into an acup-moxibustion group and an acupuncture group, 15 cases in each group. The patients in the two groups were treated with abdominal acupuncture at Zhōngwăn ( CV 12), Xiàwăn ( CV 10), Shāngqŭ ( Kl 17), Huáròumén ( ST 24), with scarring moxibustion at Qìhăi ( CV 6) added in the acup-moxibustion group, 5 treatments each week, altogether 15 treatments. The therapeutic effects were assessed on the 20th day of acupuncture.ResultsThe effective rate was 93.3% (14/15) in both the acup-moxibustion group and the acupuncture group, and the cured and markedly effective rate in the acup-moxibustion group and the acupuncture group was 86.7% (13/15) and 53.3% (8/15), respectively, the acup-moxibustion group being better than that in the acupuncture group (P<0.01); after treatment the cumulative score of pain and the cumulative score of shoulder joint active function were significantly increased in the two groups (all P<0.05), with more significantly increased in the acup-moxibustion group (both P<0.05).ConclusionThe therapeutic effect of abdominal acupuncture combined with scarring moxibustion on periarthritis of shoulder is better than that of the simple abdominal acupuncture.