ABSTRACT

Objective:

We hypothesized that determining the acupuncture therapy protocol based on the level and lateralization of lumbar disc herniation would be a more correct approach. We therefore planned to enroll patients with bilateral leg pain in addition to lumbar pain. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of acupuncture therapy applied to distant points in patients with lumbar disc hernia.

Methods:

This was an observational clinical study. Twenty patients with leg pain in addition to lumbar pain were included. The Existing Pain Severity Scale was administered to patients when they first attended and at the end of treatment. Acupuncture treatment was performed in two sessions per week. The GB 32 (Zhongdu), GB 34 (Yanglingguan), GB 40 (Qiuxu), ST 36 (Zusanli), and BL 60 (Kunlun) acupuncture points, distant points in the treatment of lumbar pain, were selected.

Results:

Patients’ mean pain score on first arrival was 4.30 ± 0.66, decreasing to 1.40 ± 0.82 at the end of the fourth session of acupuncture therapy. A statistically significant decrease was thus determined in pain severity before and after acupuncture therapy (p=0.001).

Conclusion:

Our study shows that acupuncture therapy directed toward the cause and involving distant point application only is effective in patients with lumbar pain. We conclude that treatment protocols applied to fewer acupuncture points will increase patients’ compliance with treatment and make a positive contribution to the healing process.