Comparative Study on the Therapeutic Efficacies of Electroacupuncture with Various Waves for Lumbar Intervertebral Disc Herniation and the Effect on Serum Interleukin 6

Objective To observe the clinical efficacies of electroacupuncture with various waves in treating lumbar intervertebral disc herniation(LIDH) and the effect on serum interleukin 6(IL-6). Method Ninety-eight LIDH patients were randomized into electroacupuncture group A(continuous wave, 2 Hz)(n=50) and electroacupuncture group B(sparse-intense wave, 2/100 Hz)(n=48) to receive corresponding electroacupuncture treatments, 10 d as a treatment course. After 2 treatment courses, the clinical efficacies were evaluated, and the serum IL-6 was detected before and after treatment by using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA). Result There was no significant difference in comparing the total effective rate between the two groups(P0.05). The recovery and markedly-effective rate was 87.5% in electroacupuncture group B, significantly better than that in electroacupuncture group A. After treatment, the IL-6 contents dropped significantly(P0.05), but the inter-group difference was insignificant(P0.05). Conclusion Electroacupuncture with 2/100 Hz can significantly promote the recovery and markedly- effective rate in treating LIDH, and thus can enhance the clinical efficacy; electroacupuncture can reduce the serum IL-6 content, and the regulation of IL-6 content is possibly one of the action mechanisms of electroacupuncture in treating LIDH.