To observe the clinical efficacy of electroacupuncture combined with Tuina (Chinese therapeutic massage) manipulations in treating shoulder impingement syndrome (SIS) and its effects on shoulder joint range of motion (ROM) and pain. Seventy-eight SIS patients were divided into a study group and a control group using the random number table method, with 39 cases per group. The control group received electroacupuncture, while the study group received electroacupuncture combined with Tuina for the shoulder joint. The treatment was carried out 3 times weekly for 4 weeks. After treatment, the clinical efficacy was assessed, and changes in the Constant-Murley score of shoulder joint function (CMS), visual analog scale (VAS) score of shoulder pain, and acromiohumeral distance (AHD) were observed. After treatment, the study group had a higher total effective rate compared to the control group (P<0.05). Intra-group comparisons showed that each group had a higher CMS and a lower VAS after 2 weeks of treatment, at the end of the treatment, and 1 month after treatment compared to the baseline (P<0.05); the study group showed more significant changes than the control group in the above two scores 1 month after treatment (P<0.05). One month after treatment, AHD was greater than before treatment in both groups (P<0.05); compared with the control group, the increase was more significant in the study group at the same time point (P<0.05). Compared with electroacupuncture alone, combining electroacupuncture with Tuina manipulations produced greater clinical efficacy, with advantages in increasing shoulder joint ROM, reducing pain, and increasing the AHD, and the effects lasted longer.
To observe the effect of transcutaneous electrical stimulation at ear points combined with auricular point sticking therapy in patients with chronic urticaria. Seventy patients with chronic urticaria were randomly divided into a control group and an observation group by the random number table method, with 35 cases in each group. Both groups received oral loratadine tablets combined with auricular point sticking therapy as basic treatment; the observation group was additionally treated with transcutaneous electrical stimulation at ear points. The treatment lasted for 4 weeks. The 7-day urticaria activity score (UAS7), 7-day visual analog scale (VAS7) score for pruritus, and dermatology life quality index (DLQI) were compared between the two groups before and after treatment; the serum immunoglobulin E (IgE) and histamine (HIS) levels were also measured and compared. The clinical efficacy was evaluated according to the UAS7, and the effective rate was calculated. The recurrence rate at the 4th, 8th, and 12th weeks after treatment was followed up in patients who responded to treatment. After treatment, the total effective rate of the observation group was higher than that of the control group (P<0.05). After treatment, the UAS7, VAS7, and DLQI scores in both groups were lower than before treatment (P<0.05), with lower scores in the observation group than in the control group (P<0.05). The serum IgE and HIS levels in both groups were lower than before treatment (P<0.05), with lower levels in the observation group than in the control group (P<0.05). At the 4th, 8th, and 12th weeks of follow-up after treatment, the recurrence rates of the observation group were all lower than those of the control group (P<0.05). On the basis of oral loratadine tablets, transcutaneous electrical stimulation at ear points combined with auricular point sticking therapy is superior to auricular point sticking therapy alone in treating chronic urticaria; it can more effectively alleviate clinical symptoms and allergic reactions, and reduce the recurrence rate.
To compare the clinical efficacy of different acupuncture-moxibustion therapies for treating ulcerative colitis (UC). Clinical randomized controlled trials (RCTs) studying acupuncture-moxibustion therapies for UC were retrieved by computer in MEDLINE (via PubMed), Excerpta Medica Database (EMBASE), Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Data Knowledge Service Platform (Wanfang), Chongqing VIP Database (VIP), and Chinese Biomedical Literature Service System (SinoMed). The retrieval time was from each database’s inception to July 26, 2024. The obtained literature was reviewed by two researchers independently. The quality assessment was done through the software Review Manager, version 5.3 (Cochrane Collaboration), and the meta-analysis was done by Stata 16. The surface under the cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA) was used to rank different interventions, with a higher SUCRA score indicating a more effective intervention. A total of 52 RCT articles involving 3 924 patients were included. The interventions included acupuncture, moxibustion, point catgut embedding, acupuncture combined with Western medicine (WM), moxibustion combined with WM, point catgut embedding combined with WM, fire needling combined with WM, electropuncture combined with WM, warming needle therapy combined with WM, and WM alone. According to the SUCRA rankings for the total effective rate, improvement in symptoms of purulent bloody stool, diarrhea, abdominal pain, Baron index, reduction in adverse reactions, and recurrence rate, moxibustion alone or in combination with WM ranked within the top three. Various acupuncture-moxibustion therapies are safe and effective for treating UC, and moxibustion is a better way to improve the symptoms of UC based on clinical practice.
To investigate the regulatory effects and underlying mechanisms of tendon-softening and stretching Tuina (Chinese therapeutic massage) on shoulder joint capsule fibrosis in a rat model of frozen shoulder (FS). Twenty-six male specific-pathogen-free Sprague-Dawley rats were acclimatized for 1 week and randomly assigned to a blank group (n=7) and a model induction group (n=19). After a rat model of FS was established by plaster immobilization of the shoulder joint, the model induction group was randomly divided into a model group, a conventional Tuina group, and a tendon-softening and stretching Tuina group, with 6 rats in each group. The conventional Tuina group and tendon-softening and stretching Tuina group received conventional Tuina and tendon-softening and stretching Tuina, respectively. After 4 weeks of intervention, the general condition and gait of the rats were observed. Hematoxylin-eosin and Masson staining were used to examine histomorphological changes in the shoulder joint capsule. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting were used to determine the mRNA and protein expression levels of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), Vimentin, and fibronectin 1 (FN1) in the shoulder joint capsule. Compared with the blank group, the model group showed increased proliferation of synovial cells and blood vessels, flattened synovial folds, and a dense and disorganized fibrous layer in the shoulder joint capsule, accompanied by higher gait scores and increased mRNA and protein expression levels of a-SMA, Vimentin, and FN1 (P<0.01). Compared with the model group, the conventional Tuina and tendon-softening and stretching Tuina groups showed less proliferation of synovial cells and blood vessels, a relatively loose reticular arrangement of the fibrous layer with a slightly more compact and orderly appearance, as well as lower gait scores and reduced mRNA and protein expression levels of α-SMA, Vimentin, and FN1 in the shoulder joint capsule (P<0.05 or P<0.01). Compared with the conventional Tuina group, the tendon-softening and stretching Tuina group showed a lower degree of shoulder joint capsule fibrosis, together with lower gait scores and reduced mRNA and protein expression levels of α-SMA, Vimentin, and FN1 (P<0.05 or P<0.01). Tendon-softening and stretching Tuina downregulates the expression of the fibrotic markers α-SMA, Vimentin, and FN1, inhibits shoulder joint capsule fibrosis, and promotes recovery of shoulder joint function in rats with FS. Its effects are superior to those of conventional Tuina. In Tuina treatment protocols for FS, the use of stretching techniques may be preferable to pulling manipulation.
To observe the effect of Tiao Shen Li Yan (mind-regulating and dysphagia-relieving) needling plus neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) on deglutition function and nutritional status in patients with deglutition disorders after acute cerebral infraction (ACI). A total of 108 patients with deglutition disorders after ACI were divided into an observation group and a control group using the random number table method, with 54 cases in each group. Both groups were treated with NMES, and the observation group was treated with additional Tiao Shen Li Yan needling. Both groups were treated once daily for 5 consecutive days, followed by 2 d of rest, for a total of 4 consecutive weeks. After treatment, the clinical efficacy, surface electromyography (sEMG) activity of the throat, neurological function scale score, and nutritional status were compared between the two groups. The total effective rate, maximum amplitude of the throat sEMG, hemoglobin, and serum albumin levels in the observation group were significantly higher than those in the control group (P<0.05). The deglutition time on sEMG, National Institutes of Health stroke scale (NIHSS) score, and modified Rankin scale score in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group (P<0.05). The curative effect of Tiao Shen Li Yan needling plus NMES is superior to NMES alone in treating patients with deglutition disorders after ACI, and has more significant effects in improving deglutition function and nutritional indicators.
