Analysis on the effect of acupuncture in treating cervical spondylosis with different syndrome types.
OBJECTIVE
To observe the clinical effect of acupuncture in treating cervical spondylosis with different syndrome types.


METHODS
One hundred and seventeen patients were randomized into the treated group: (59 cases), treated with normal acupuncture, and the control group (58 cases), treated with sham acupuncture, operated once every other day, 9 times in total (in 18 days) as one therapeutic course, and a succeeding 3-month follow-up study was carried out after terminating the therapy. The efficacy of treatment was evaluated with the Northwick Park Neck Pain Questionnaire (NPQ) and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), and the scores gained in patients with different syndrome types were analyzed with a general linear model.


RESULTS
The NPQ and VAS: scores showed a linear decreasing tendency in both groups at the time of ending treatment and the 1st month of follow-up, but showed a secondary curve increasing tendency in the 3rd month of follow-up. Multivariate analysis showed the difference was of statistical significance (P<0.05). However, the analysis through lead-in of syndrome type as an individual influencing factor showed that syndrome type exerts a significant influence on VAS score (P<0.05), but has insignificant influence on the NPQ score (P>0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Acupuncture shows: good immediate effect in treating cervical spondylosis, but its long-term effect is not satisfactory. The difference in syndrome type may have some impact on the effects of acupuncture in alleviating pain, but exerts no evident influence on the comprehensive effect.
Fu
Wen-bin
WB
Acupuncture and Moxibustion Department of Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medical Sciences, Guangzhou, China.
Liang
Zhao-hui
ZH
Zhu
Xiao-ping
XP
Yu
Peng
P
Zhang
Ji-fu
JF
D015670:Acupuncture Therapy; D000328:Adult; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010147:Pain Measurement; D055009:Spondylosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*