title: [Observation on therapeutic effect of muscular needling combined with scarring moxibustion on active stage of rheumatoid arthritis].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To observe the therapeutic effect of muscular needling combined with scarring moxibustion on active stage of rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty cases of RA were randomly divided into a muscular needling group and a medication group, 30 cases in each group. The muscular needling group was treated by muscular needling on Quchi (LI 11), Sanyinjiao (SP 6), etc. combined with scarring moxibustion on Dazhui (GV 14), Zusanli (ST 36) etc., while the medication group was treated by oral administration of Diclofenac sodium and intramuscular injection of Methotrexate. The therapeutic effects, main symptoms and signs, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and rheumatoid factor were observed in two groups before and after treatment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The total effective rate of muscular needling group was 76.7%, and that of medication group was 73.3%, there was no significant difference between two groups (P > 0.05). The clinical symptoms, signs, and E8R of two groups were improved obviously compared with those before treatment (P < 0.01, P < 0.05), however there were no significant differences between the two groups after treatment (all P > 0.05). The adverse reactions of medication group were more eminent compared to the muscular needling group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Muscular needling can obviously relieve the symptoms and signs of active stage rheumatoid arthritis and the effect is equivalent to oral administration of western medicine, the incidence of adverse reactions in the muscular needling group is obviously lower than that of western medication. Muscular needling is a safe and effective method for treatment of RA.
authors.affiliation: Department of Acupuncture and Rheumatism, Nanchang Hospital of Integrated TCM and Western Medicine, Nanchang 330003, China. Chenxinhua8452962@yahoo.com.cn
authors.forename: Xing-hua
authors.initials: XH
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Wen-min
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Yao
authors.forename: Chun-ping
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Zou
authors.forename: Han-bin
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Xu
mesh_terms: D015669:Acupuncture Points; D015670:Acupuncture Therapy; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000378:metabolism / Q000628:therapy*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009071:Moxibustion; D012217:Rheumatoid Factor / Q000378:metabolism; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D012217:Rheumatoid Factor