OBJECTIVE:
To study the effectiveness of Electroacupuncture for back pain of the spinal nerve root using a selective spinal nerve block technique for the treatment of lumbar and lower limb symptoms in patients with lumbar spinal canal stenosis.
A patient receiving electroacupuncture
Spinal stenosis is another condition that sees the benefit of using electroacupuncture.
METHODS:
Subjects were 17 patients with spinal canal stenosis who did not respond to 2 months of general conservative treatment and conventional acupuncture. Under x-ray fluoroscopy, two acupuncture needles were inserted as close as possible to the relevant nerve root, as determined by subjective symptoms and x-ray and MRI findings, and low-frequency electroacupuncture stimulation was performed (10 Hz, 10 min). Patients received 3-5 once-weekly treatments and were evaluated immediately before and after each treatment and 3 months after completion of treatment.
RESULTS:
After the first nerve root electroacupuncture stimulation, scores for lumbar and lower limb symptoms improved significantly (low back pain, p
CONCLUSION:
Lumbar and lower limb symptoms, for which conventional acupuncture and general conservative treatment had been ineffective, improved significantly during a course of electroacupuncture to the spinal nerve root, showing sustained improvement even 3 months after completion of treatment. The mechanisms of these effects may involve activation of the pain inhibition system and improvement of nerve blood flow.
Dr. Tony Willcox of Acupuncture Zen has had a large range of clinical experience from traveling to China and treating many patients with many varied conditions including utilizing Electroacupuncture for back pain. Having trained in Shanghai and Anhui China Dr Tony has had the full experiences of how acupuncture works and how it is utilized in clinical settings in hospitals as well as private practice.
Resources:
– SOURCE: Department of Clinical Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Meiji University of Integrative Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22534725