[Observation on therapeutic effects of different needling methods at tiaokou (ST 38) on periarthritis of shoulder].

OBJECTIVE: To compare therapeutic effects of different needling methods at Tiaokou (ST 38) on periarthritis of shoulder. METHODS: Eighty cases of periarphritis of shoulder were randomly assigned to four groups. Tiaokou (ST 38) was selected in all the 4 groups. The treatment group were treated with penetration needling, and the control group A, B, C were treated by needling into 40 mm deep, needling into the subcutaneous tissue, sham acupuncture, respectively. Therapeutic effect was evaluated by Constant-Murley shoulder joint scale. RESULTS: The clinical effective rate was 100.0% in the treatment group and 68.4% in the control group A, 52.6% in the control group B, 38.0% in the control group C with significant differences as the treatment group compared with the control groups A, B, C (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). And with no significant difference as the control group A compared with the control group B, C, and the group B with the group C (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Different needling depths of Tiaokou (ST 38) have different therapeutic effects, the penetration needling being the best and the sham needling being worse which can be used as control method.