Objective: To observe wet cupping therapy(WCT) on local blood perfusion and analgesic effects in patients with nerve-root type cervical spondylosis(NT-CS). Methods: Fifty-seven NT-CS patients were randomly divided into WCT group and Jiaji acupoint-acupuncture(JA) group according a random number table. WCT group(30 cases) was treated with WCT for 10 min, and JA group(27 cases) was treated with acupuncture for 10 min. The treatment efficacies were evaluated with a Visual Analogue Scale(VAS). Blood perfusion at Dazhui(GV 14) and Jianjing(GB 21) acupoints(affected side) was observed with a laser speckle flowmetry, and its variations before and after treatment in both groups were compared as well. Results: In both groups, the VAS scores significantly decreased after the intervention(P<0.01), while the blood perfusion at the two acupoints significantly increased after intervention(P<0.05); however, the increasement magnitude caused by WCT was obvious compared with JA(P<0.05). Conclusion: WCT could improve analgesic effects in patients with NT-CS, which might be related to increasing local blood perfusion of acupunct points.
MENG Xiang-wenWANG YingPIAO Sheng-aiLV Wen-taoZHU Cheng-huiMU Ming-yuanLI Dan-danLIU Hua-pengGUO Yi
