Observations on the Efficacy of Acupuncture Point Injection plus Traction in Treating Cervical Spondylotic Radiculopathy

Objective To investigate the clinical efficacy of acupuncture point injection plus traction in treating cervical spondylotic radiculopathy and compare pre-/post-treatment serum IL-6 concentrations.Methods One hundred and sixty patients with cervical spondylotic radiculopathy were randomly allocated to groups A,B,C and D,40 cases each.Group A was treated by acupuncture point injection plus traction;group B,by acupuncture point injection;group C,with acupuncture;group C,by traction.The clinical therapeutic effects,pre-and post-treatment VAS scores and numbness scores,and IL-6 concentrations were compared between the groups.Results The total efficacy rate was 100% in group A,77.5% in group B,67.5% in group C and 72.5% in group D.There were statistically significant pre-/post-treatment differences in the VAS score,the numbness score and the IL-6 concentration in all the groups(P0.05).There were statistically significant post-treatment differences in the VAS score,the numbness score and the IL-6 concentration between groups A and B,C or D(P0.05).Conclusion Acupuncture point injection plus traction is an effective way to treat cervical spondylotic radiculopathy.