Effects of dry needling in lower extremity myofascial trigger points: systematic review

Objective: This systematic review was conducted to explore the current evidences on effects of trigger point dry needling as a treatment strategy on pain and range of motion among the subjects with lower extremity myofascial trigger areas. Methods: A systematic review was performed and searched databases including Cochrane Library, PubMed, SPORTDiscus and PEDro. PRISMA guidelines were followed. Inclusion and exclusion of studies were made according to PICOS format. Ten studies were recruited for assessment based on eligibility. Cochrane Risk of Bias tool was used to assess the Randomized and Non-Randomized controlled trials and the methodological assessment was also performed using PEDro 10-point scale. Data synthesis was performed by Vote Counting Method as a descriptive tool. Results: Seven of the total ten studies deemed High score on PEDro and three were scored Fair on the scale. Each of the ten studies documented improvement in the pain over time with the dry needling strategy. None of the studies targeted the other outcomes like anxiety and sleep disturbances related with myofascial trigger points. Conclusion: On basis of the best evidences available dry needling seems to be effective in pain reduction related to lower extremity myofascial trigger points. Evidence also suggests that there is not much positive effect of myofascial trigger point dry needling on depression, anxiety, muscular strength and quality of life. Keywords: Acupuncture therapy, Dry Needling, Lower extremity, Myofascial trigger points Continuous....

The Effectiveness of Acupuncture Therapy in Patient with Hemorrhoid: A Case Report

Background: Hemorrhoid is an anorectal disease due to mechanical disturbances in the anal cushion and hemorrhoid venous plexus blood flow obstruction. Symptoms that often accur are bleeding, pain, prolapse, itching, and mucus discharge. Acupuncture is non-pharmacological therapeutic modalities that has been shown to improve hemorrhoid symptoms. Case: A 37-year-old woman complained of hemorroid lump with pain since last 1 year. Physical examination showed a reddish hemorrhoid prolapse, about 1.5 cm in the posterior anal without bleeding. The pain score with NRS is 4. Acupuncture therapy was performed 3 times a week at acupoints GV20, TE6, LU6, ST25, BL34, ST36, EX-UE2 and BL57. Then given continuous wave electrical stimulation, 4 Hz, 30 minutes retention. After 11 treatments, pain disappeared with NRS 0 and lump was reduced to about 0.5 cm. Conclusion: Acupuncture can improve the symptoms of hemorrhoids, which are seen by the relief of pain and the reduction of lumps. Keywords: Acupuncture, hemorrhoid, hemorrhoid pain, hemorrhoid prolapse

Wrist Ankle Acupuncture (WAA) and Body Acupuncture Accelerates Neurorehabilitation in Bell's Palsy: A Case Report

Bell’s Palsy (BP) is an acute unilateral facial paralysis due to idiopathic inflammation of the peripheral facial nerve. Corticosteroids, antiviral drugs, and physical therapy could be useful to treat BP, however these treatments could not bring complete recovery. Acupuncture could be an alternative option for BP and to show its effectiveness, we present a case report, a patient with BP treated with acupuncture. A 48-year-old female patient, a kindergarden teacher, already treated with corticosteroid and antiviral agents as soon as BP was diagnosed. Six weeks later, patient didn’t recover, with House-Brackmann score stage 3. Acupuncture was perfomed at local and distance acupoints at ears, body and face. Wrist Ankle Acupuncture (WAA) L1,2; ear acupuncture at zero point; and body points were stimulated by electroacu-puncture. After acupuncture therapy, the House-Brackmann score was grade 2. Medical options for the sequelae of BP are limited. Acupuncture’s effectivity in Bell palsy patients’ should be shown with more clinical studies. Keywords: Acupuncture; Wrist Ankle Acupuncture; Bell’s Palsy; Recovery

Manual Acupuncture Effect on Vertigo and Tinnitus in Patient with Labyrinthitis: A Case Report

Labyrinthitis is an inflammatory disease of the inner ear perilymphatic cavity and the most common cause of prolonged spontaneous vertigo. Other symptoms are tinnitus and sensorineural hearing loss. Acupuncture is one of the non-pharmacological therapeutic modalities to improve symptoms of labyrinthitis. A 54-year-old woman complained of vertigo that is preceded by tinnitus in both ears since the last 6 months. She was diagnosed with labyrinthitis. Had taken amoxicillin and decadryl for 5 days, betaserc and dimenhydrinate when she felt dizzy, and amlodipine as a routine drug for her hypertension. Physical examination showed vital signs within normal limits, grade 2 obesity, positive Romberg test, and THI score 18. Manual acupuncture was performed at acupoints GV20, GB20, TE17, TE21, SI19, GB2, GB8, TE5, LI4, KI3, PC6 and LR3 with 20 minutes retention. After the first therapy, vertigo complaints disappeared and after 12 treatments (twice a week), frequency and intensity of tinnitus became less, with THI score of 6. Therefore, acupuncture can relieve vertigo and improve tinnitus which can be seen by a decrease of THI score. Keywords: acupuncture, labyrinthitis, tinnitus, vertigo

Evaluating Acupuncture for the Treatment of Chemotherapy-induced Peripheral Neuropathy: An Integrative Review

The purpose of this integrative review of the literature is to synthesize the current evidence and identify gaps in knowledge regarding the effectiveness of acupuncture to treat chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN). PubMed, CINAHL, Web of Science, and Cochrane Review databases were searched using inclusion criteria: keywords acupuncture, cancer, and peripheral neuropathy, published in English, between 2009 and 2019. Sixteen articles met the inclusion criteria. The literature indicates that acupuncture is generally well tolerated by patients with cancer, and a majority of patients with CIPN reported decreased pain and increased quality of life after receiving acupuncture treatment. A comprehensive understanding of the ability of acupuncture to treat CIPN is limited by variability of acupuncture techniques and inconsistency in measures of evaluation.

The Effectiveness of Acupuncture in Reducing Musculoskeletal Pain: A Meta-Analysis

ABSTRACT Background: Musculoskeletal disorder affects the musculoskeletal system’s function, which includes tendons, bursae, bones, muscles, joints, and ligaments. Acupuncture is one of the non-pharmacological alternative therapies for treating musculoskeletal disorders. This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of acupuncture in reducing pain in musculoskeletal diseases. Subjects and Method: This was a meta-analysis and systematic review. The study was collected articles from PubMed, ProQuest, Science Direct, Scopus, Spinger Link, and Google Scholar databases. The inclusion criteria were full text in English language and used randomized controlled trial study design. There were 8 articles with 466 study subjects comprised in two groups, including 236 people received acupuncture therapy (intervention) and 230 people received sham acupuncture (control). The selected articles were analyzed by ReVman 5.4. Results: This study had high heterogeneity (I2= 90%; p<0.001). This study reported that acupuncture was more effective to reduce musculoskeletal pain than sham acupuncture (Mean Difference= 1.63; 95% CI= 0.89 to 2.38; p= 0.001). Conclusion: Acupuncture is more effective to reduce musculoskeletal pain than sham acupuncture. Keywords: acupuncture, musculoskeletal pain Correspondence: Kurnia Eka Putri. Masters Program in Public Health, Universitas Sebelas Maret. Jl. Ir. Sutami 36A, Surakarta 57126, Central Java. Email: [email protected]. Mobile: +628995212646. DOI: https://doi.org/10.26911/the7thicph.05.52

Brazilian Scientific Research about Acupuncture in Dentistry: Bibliometric Analysis of the Papers Presented at SBPqO Meetings

The aim of this study was to investigate the Brazilian scientific production about acupuncture in dentistry, outlining the profile of the works about the subject presented at the Meetings of the Brazilian Society of Dental Research (SBPqO). It was a cross-sectional study, with a quantitative approach, based on secondary data. An analysis of all abstracts presented in the last ten SBPqO Meetings (2009-2018) published in the annals of the event was carried out. For the research the location of the term "acupuntura" or "acupuncture" among the abstracts was realized and the following information was collected: type of institution that carried out the research (public or private), Brazilian region where it was realized, area or specialty of dentistry and whether it involved humans or animals. Of the 26,514 dental research abstracts published in the annals, only 27 papers were experimental studies or systematic reviews about the subject. Of the total, 23 (85.2%) were developed in public institutions, 15 (55.6%) did not receive financial support 20 (74.1%) were carried out in humans and 13 (48.2%) were developed in the Southeast region. Regarding the dental specialty, the majority (70.4%) investigated acupuncture in "Temporomandibular Dysfunction and Orofacial Pain". Therefore, it can be concluded that few acupuncture studies in dentistry have been developed in the last ten years in Brazil, according to the papers presented at the SBPqO Meetings. Thus, it is suggested that research on the subject be carried out and widely disseminated between the academic and professional milieu. Keywords: Acupuncture Therapy. Dental Research. Complementary Therapies. ResumoO objetivo desse estudo foi investigar a produção científica brasileira sobre a acupuntura na odontologia, traçando o perfil dos trabalhos sobre a temática apresentados nas Reuniões da Sociedade Brasileira de Pesquisa Odontológica (SBPqO). Tratou-se de um estudo transversal, com abordagem quantitativa, a partir de dados secundários. Realizou-se uma análise de todos os resumos apresentados nas últimas dez Reuniões da SBPqO (2009-2018) publicados nos anais do evento. Para pesquisa procedeu-se a localização do termo “acupuntura” ou “acupuncture” entre os resumos e foram colhidas as seguintes informações: tipo de instituição que realizou a pesquisa (pública ou privada), região brasileira onde foi realizada, recebimento de auxílio financeiro, área ou especialidade da odontologia e se envolvia humanos ou animais. Dos 26.514 resumos de pesquisa odontológica publicados em anais, apenas 27 trabalhos tratavam de estudos experimentais ou revisões sistemáticas sobre a temática. Do total, 23 (85,2%) foram desenvolvidos em instituições públicas, 15 (55,6%) não receberam auxílio financeiro, 20 (74,1%) foram realizados em humanos e 13 (48,2%) desenvolvidos na região Sudeste do Brasil. Com relação a especialidade odontológica, a maioria (70,4%) pesquisou sobre a acupuntura na “Disfunção Temporomandibular e Dor Orofacial”. Os achados do presente estudo indicam que poucas pesquisas abordando a acupuntura na odontologia foram desenvolvidas nos últimos dez anos no Brasil, de acordo com os trabalhos apresentados nas Reuniões da SBPqO. Diante disso, sugere-se que pesquisas sobre o tema sejam realizadas e amplamente divulgadas entre o meio acadêmico e profissionais. Palavras-chave: Terapia por Acupuntura. Pesquisa em Odontologia. Terapias Complementares.

Internal carotid artery injury secondary to acupuncture revealed using MRI

A case of a lumbar spinal cord injury survivor, complained of gradual onset of left-arm weakness after simultaneous moxibustion and acupuncture treatment in which two moxibustion sticks were placed on his lower legs and eight acupuncture needles were inserted into his face and neck while he was in a sitting position. During the treatment, he had a forceful sneeze that his head leaned forward while his body remained upright. This momentary posture caused his right clavicle to press on the needle inserted at the right side of his neck, consequently, the accidental displacement of the needle dissected a portion of the right internal carotid artery as confirmed using MRI. Hospitalization and antiplatelet therapy were prescribed for his condition; he made a full recovery and was discharged in two days. Three months later, he received a Doppler ultrasound for the internal carotid artery that showed no abnormality. Keywords: Acupuncture; Moxibustion; Adverse effect; Internal carotid artery

How and why patients use acupuncture: an interpretive phenomenological study

INTRODUCTION: The usual drivers of health care provision, namely efficacy and cost, might be expected to drive down the use of Complementary and Alternative Medicines (CAMs), given the relative paucity of evidence of efficacy for many CAMs. Usage of CAMs remains extensive and little attention has been given to explaining this paradox. This paper explores how patients integrate acupuncture, as a CAMs exemplar, within their personal schemes of health care. METHODS: An interpretive phenomenological approach underpinned the inquiry, which gathered data from in-depth interviews with 12 participants who had recently consulted acupuncturists. Thematic analysis was conducted using a constant comparison methodology. FINDINGS: Participants mostly accessed acupuncture for musculoskeletal and pain-related conditions. Usage was often initially motivated by dissatisfaction with conventional health care, perceptions that the source of the problem had not been addressed, and sometimes was due to negative experiences with medical professionals. Previous positive outcomes with acupuncture motivated more extensive use, as did personal health ideologies. Acupuncture was viewed to be appropriate for treating chronic and quality of life health issues, while treatment-associated cost was identified as a barrier to access. CONCLUSIONS: CAMs usage has been explained variously by 'push' and 'pull' factors; however, this study has shown that reasons for patient use of acupuncture may be complex and change over time. This qualitative study suggests that acupuncture fulfils specific health needs unmet in conventional health care, but also that patients view CAMs treatment as part of a broader and more pluralistic scheme of health care. KEYWORDS: Acupuncture; alternative medicine; alternative therapies; attitude to health complementary therapies