Observations on the Efficacy of Double-needle Contralateral Meridian Acupuncture in Treating Posthemiplegic Omalgia

Objective To validate the advantage of double-needle contralateral meridian acupuncture in treating posthemiplegic omalgia. Methods Sixty patients with posthemiplegic omalgia were randomly allocated to double-needle contralateral meridian acupuncture and conventional acupuncture groups. Each group was treated by the corresponding method. The cure rates and the times for curing the patients were compared between the two groups. Results The cure rate was 87.0% in the double-needle contralateral meridian acupuncture group and 40.0% in the conventional acupuncture group. Most of the patients were cured within 4 treatments in the double-needle contralateral meridian acupuncture group and beyond 5 treatments in the conventional acupuncture group. There were statistically significant differences by comparison (P0.01, P0.05). Conclusion Fewer points are selected for treatment of posthemiplegic omalgia by double-needle contralateral meridian acupuncture compared with conventional acupuncture. The cure rate of the former is significantly higher than that of the latter.