Effectiveness of Acupuncture Plus Traditional Chinese Medicine Iontophoresis for Cervical Spondylotic Radiculopathy

Objective: To observe the influence of acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine iontophoresis on the level of PGE2 in patients with cervical spondylotic radiculopathy(CSR) and clinical effectiveness.Methods: Ninety patients with CSR were randomly divided into treatment group(acupuncture and TCM iontophoresis group),control group 1(acupuncture group),control group 2(TCM iontophoresis group),20 cases in each group.The clinical effectiveness and plasma PGE2 levels were measured before and after treatment.Results: After treatment 14 times,the total scores of symptoms signs and functional status,and PGE2 levels were significantly reduced as compared with those before treatment in all groups.The curative rate and total effective rate in treatment group were higher than in control groups 1 and 2(P0.05).Conclusion: Acupuncture combined with traditional Chinese medicine iontophoresis can significantly improve the symptoms and signs of patients with CSR,reduce the plasma PGE2 levels and promote the recovery of function.