[Clinical study on acupuncture and Tuina for treatment of birth brachial plexus injury].
OBJECTIVE
To compare the difference of therapeutic effect between acupuncture combined with Tuina and Nobex for treatment of birth brachial plexus injury.


METHODS
Forty cases with birth brachial plexus injury were randomly divided into a acupuncture combined with Tuina group (group A) and a Nobex group (group B), 20 cases in each group. The group A was treated with acupuncture at 3 points, i. e. Jianyu (LI 15), Jianliao (TE 14), Jianzhen (SI 9) on shoulder, Binao (LI 14), Shouwuli (LI 13), Quchi (LI 11), etc. combined with Tuina using a single thumb and rolling method, and the group B was treated with intramuscular injection of Nobex. The clinical effects and the changes of the symptom, scores and the electromyogram were observed before and after treatment.


RESULTS
The total effective rate of 90.0% (18/20) in the group A was better than that of 55.0% (11/20) in the group B, with a significant difference between the two groups (P < 0.05). The effective rate of the electromyogram improvement in the group A was 90.0% (18/20), which was better than 45.0% (9/20) in the group B (P < 0. 05), and the symptom scores in the group A were lower than those in the group B (P < 0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
Acupuncture combined with Tuina can improve the recovery of nerve and upper extremity function and its therapeutic effect is superior to that of intramuscular injection with Nobex.
TCM Department, Children's Hospital of Hunan Province, Changsha, China. ruby1013@163.com
Wei
W
Luo
Jin-Zhou
JZ
Cheng
D015670:Acupuncture Therapy; D001720:Birth Injuries / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D001917:Brachial Plexus / Q000293:injuries* / Q000503:physiopathology; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008405:Massage