Abstract
In the 31st conference of this society, experience of acupunctural treatment of 15 cases of pain-related diseases in our orthopaedic section was already reported. In the present paper, some clinical observations on acupunctural treatment of ruptured lumbar disc, which is a representative orthopaedic disease, were reported.
METHOD
Treatment and observation were carried out on 47 ruptured lumbar disc patients (29 males and 18 females between 19 and 61 years of age, average age: 34.2 years) who were diagnosed in our clinic on the basis of findings in physical examination, myelograms, electromyograms, etc. in the two years since 1981. Using Chinese needles and an electro-anesthesia device (G 6805, made in China), several acupuncture techniques were performed: in situ technique, electrical stimulation, moxa needle, combination of electrical stimulation and moxa needle and so on. The patients were divided into two groups. Acupuncture-only group (29 cases) were treated with acupuncture alone. 21 cases of them showed good results, whereas the remaining 8 cases showed no excellent results and subsequently underwent other conservative treatment or operation. Combined-treatment group (18 cases) were treated with both acupucnture and other conservative treatment from the beginning.
RESULT
The effectiveness of the treatment was noted in 21 cases (72.4%) of Acupuncture-only group and in 15 cases (83.3%) of Combined-treatment group. In terms of age, the under forties showed better results than the over forties in both groups: the aging factors, which provoke lumbago or sciatica, were supposed. As to the period between the onset of the symptoms and the institution of treatment, fresh cases (the period is shorter) mostly showed better results than old cases (that is longer). The old cases in Combined-treatment group showed better results than those in Acupuncture-only group. The improvement rate of “tension sign” was fairlry high in both Acupuncture-only (70.9%) and Combined-treatment (81.2%) group, whereas that rate of “abnormal tendon reflex” or “sensory disorder” was not high. Nine of 11 cases without avail (8 cases in Acupuncture-only group and 3 cases in Combined-treatment group) underwent discectomy. A prolapsed disc was seen in 3 of the 9 cases, and severe compression and adhesion of the nerve root were observed in all of them. Their postoperative course was uneventful.
DISCUSSION
Using existing conservative treatment, most of ruptured lumbar disc patients can be ameliorated. Excellent results have been also obtained with acupuncture therapy in the present study. However, in consideration of social adaptation, there are operation-unavoidable cases among the ruptured disc patients who are undergoing acupuncture or other conservative treatment.
