Acupuncture and transcutaneous electric stimulation in the treatment of
chronic sacrolumbalgia and ischialgia.
by
Laitinen J
From:
Am J Chin Med, 4: 2, 1976 Summer, 169-75
A comparison was made between 50 patients treated with acupuncture and
50 patients treated with transcutaneous electric stimulation. All
patients suffered from chronic sacrolumbalgia or ischialgia of more
than six months' duration. Two to 10 treatments were given at weekly
sessions, the mean being 5 in both groups. Stimulation points were
selected by the same principle in both groups: one point along the
course of the nerve trunk affected, and one point at a dermatome
proximal to the affected segment. The stimulation was given
bilaterally. Needles were inserted as deep as the muscular layer and
twirled at 5 min intervals. In the electric stimulation square-wave
impulses of 1.0 msec duration and 50 Hz frequency were used. The
electrodes were 0.9 cm in diameter. Each acupuncture and electric
stimulation was of 20 min duration. Pain relief was complete or
moderate in the acupuncture group in 58% of the cases, and in 46% in
the electric stimulation group. After 2 months 30 patients in the
acupuncture group and 23 patients in the electric stimulation group
still reported satisfactory relief of pain. After 6 months 15 patients
in the acupuncture group and 10 patients in the electric stimulation
group still reported satisfactory relief of pain.