by
Chen GS; Hwang YC
From: South Med J, 71: 8, 1978 Aug, 898-903
From the data presented it appears that acupuncture helped in more than
50% of the patients by either completely or partially controlling pain
from certain disorders. Patients helped by acupuncture received 8.55
treatments on the average, while patients not helped by acupuncture
only received 4.75 treatments. There is difference between the male and
female patients as to the response to acupuncture. However, we noticed
that the younger the patient and the shorter the duration of their of
problems, the better the response. Patients who had not had surgery to
treat the pain syndrome responded better than those who had had
previous surgery. Patients with backache who had previously had
laminectomy showed better response to acupuncture than patients who had
had spinal fusion. It appears that good general health plays an
important role in favorable response to acupuncture treatment.
Acupuncture may be a valuable extension of a conventional pain clinic
and an alternative in patients who are desperate to obtain relief from
pain which they failed to obtain from other methods.