Objective
To observe the effect of warm needling therapy plus acupuncture on third lumbar vertebra transverse process syndrome.
Methods
Sixty cases of third lumbar vertebra transverse process syndrome were randomly divided into a warm needling group or an acupuncture group, 30 cases in each group. Cases in the acupuncture group were treated by routine points and needle sticking manipulation, while those in the warm needling group were treated by moxibustion plus needling as same as the acupuncture group. Japanese orthopedic association scores (JOA) in the two groups were observed and compared after 2 treatment courses.
Results
After treatment, the JOA score in the warm needling group was higher than that in the acupuncture group (P<0.01); subjective symptom, clinical syndromes, activity of daily living (ADL) in the warm needling group were all higher than those in the acupuncture group (all P<0.05); the score of pain in the warm needling group was significantly lower than that in the acupuncture group (P<0.01); the total effective rate in the warm needling group was 76.7%, versus 70.0% in the acupuncture group, showing a statistically significant difference (P<0.05).
Conclusion
Warm needling therapy is more effective than normal acupuncture in treating third lumbar vertebra transverse process syndrome.