Electroacupuncture combined with iontophoresis of Chinese medicine for lumbar intervertebral disc herniation

Objective: To observe the clinical efficacy of electroacupuncture (EA) combined with iontophoresis of Chinese medicine for lumbar intervertebral disc herniation (LIDH). Methods: A total of 80 LIDH cases were randomly allocated into a treatment group and a control group by the random number table, 40 in each group. Cases in the treatment group were treated with EA combined with iontophoresis of Chinese medicine, whereas cases in the control group were treated with EA alone. Cases in both groups were treated once a day, 10 times for one course and there was a 3-day interval between two courses. The therapeutic efficacies in two groups were assessed after two courses of treatment. The short-form McGill pain questionnaire (SF-MPQ) and Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) low back pain evaluation questionnaire were used for the scoring system before treatment, after the first treatment and 2 courses of treatment. Results: After two courses of treatment, the total effective rate was 95.0% in the treatment group, versus 87.5% in the control group, showing a statistical difference (P<0.05). The therapeutic efficacy in the treatment group was significantly better than that in the control group after the first treatment and 2 courses of treatment. The score of SF-MPQ in the treatment group was more significantly decreased and the JOA score in the treatment group was more significantly increased, showing statistical differences (P<0.01). Conclusion: EA at Jiaji (EX-B 2) points combined with iontophoresis of Chinese medicine is better than EA alone in alleviating low back and leg pain and improving functions of the low back and leg as well as the quality of life of LIDH patients. © 2015, Shanghai Research Institute of Acupuncture and Meridian and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.