title: The warming acupuncture for treatment of sciatica in 30 cases.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To observe the relation between the pain threshold and the therapeutic effects of acupuncture for sciatica.
  
  
  METHODS
  90 sciatica patients were equally divided at random into the following 3 groups: a warming acupuncture group treated with the needles warmed by burning moxa, a western medicine group administered Nimesulide tablets and a point-injection group with Anisodamine injected. The pain threshold was tested before treatment and after the first, second and third treatment courses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The warming acupuncture therapy showed better therapeutic effects than the other two groups with significant differences in the change of pain threshold and the improvement of clinical symptoms and signs (P<0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Acupuncture can relieve the symptoms of sciatica with the increase of pain threshold.
authors.affiliation: Hunan TCM Professional Training College, Zhuzhou 412012, China.
authors.forename: Mei-ren
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Ping
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Gang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Xiang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Gao-wen
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.forename: Xu-hui
authors.initials: XH
authors.lastname: Cheng
mesh_terms: D015670:Acupuncture Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017288:Pain Threshold; D012585:Sciatica / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*