Clinical Efficacy of Round-sharp Needle Therapy in Treatment of Lumbar Disc Herniation:A Report of 30 Cases

Objective To investigate the clinical efficacy of round-sharp needle therapy in the treatment of lumbar disc herniation(LDH).Methods Sixty patients with LDH were randomly divided into treatment group(n=30)and control group(n=30).The treatment group received round-sharp needle acupuncture at lumbar antagonistic muscles(erector spinae and psoas major),while the control group received conventional acupuncture at Shenshu,Dachangshu,and Weizhong.Two courses of acupuncture(6times each course)were performed in each group.The lumbar function was assessed using the JOA low back pain scale,and the clinical outcomes were evaluated.Results The results of two-way mixed-design ANOVA revealed significant differences in JOA scores between different time points in each group(F=572.19,P0.01);both groups showed significant increases in JOA scores from before treatment to the end of the first course of treatment and then to the end of the second course of treatment(P0.05);there were no significant difference in JOA scores between the two groups(F=2.317,P=0.133).At the end of the first course of treatment,the treatment group had a significantly better clinical outcome than the control group(P=0.037);at the end of the second course of treatment,no significant difference in clinical outcome was observed between the two groups(P=0.259).Conclusion Compared with conventional acupuncture,round-sharp needle therapy has better short-term efficacy and comparable long-term efficacy.