title: Spinal nerve root electroacupuncture for symptomatic treatment of lumbar spinal canal stenosis unresponsive to standard acupuncture: a prospective case series.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the effectiveness of electroacupuncture of the spinal nerve root using a selective spinal nerve block technique for the treatment of lumbar and lower limb symptoms in patients with lumbar spinal canal stenosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Subjects were 17 patients with spinal canal stenosis who did not respond to 2 months of general conservative treatment and conventional acupuncture. Under x-ray fluoroscopy, two acupuncture needles were inserted as close as possible to the relevant nerve root, as determined by subjective symptoms and x-ray and MRI findings, and low-frequency electroacupuncture stimulation was performed (10 Hz, 10 min). Patients received 3-5 once-weekly treatments, and were evaluated immediately before and after each treatment and 3 months after completion of treatment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After the first nerve root electroacupuncture stimulation, scores for lumbar and lower limb symptoms improved significantly (low back pain, p<0.05; lower limb pain, p<0.05; lower limb dysaesthesia, p<0.01) with some improvement in continuous walking distance. Symptom scores and continuous walking distance showed further improvement before the final treatment (p<0.01), and a significant sustained improvement was observed 3 months after completion of treatment (p<0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Lumbar and lower limb symptoms, for which conventional acupuncture and general conservative treatment had been ineffective, improved significantly during a course of electroacupuncture to the spinal nerve root, showing sustained improvement even 3 months after completion of treatment. The mechanisms of these effects may involve activation of the pain inhibition system and improvement of nerve blood flow.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Meiji University of Integrative Medicine, Kyoto, Japan. mo_inoue@meiji-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Motohiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Inoue
authors.forename: Miwa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nakajima
authors.forename: Tatsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hojo
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kitakoji
authors.forename: Megumi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Itoi
mesh_terms: D015670:Acupuncture Therapy; D000368:Aged; D015671:Electroacupuncture; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011859:Radiography; D013126:Spinal Nerve Roots / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013130:Spinal Stenosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*