Pricking-cupping therapy for cervical spondylotic radiculopathy with qi stagnation and blood stasis based on Young's modulus value

Abstract

To compare the clinical effect between pricking-cupping therapy and acupuncture-cupping therapy on cervical spondylotic radiculopathy (CSR) with qi stagnation and blood stasis, and to evaluate the trapezius muscle objectively and quantitatively with ultrasonic shear wave elastography (SWE). A total of 70 patients with CSR of qi stagnation and blood stasis were randomly divided into a pricking-cupping group (35 cases) and an acupuncture-cupping group (35 cases). In both groups, Dazhui (GV 14), Jianjing (GB 21), C5-C7 Jiaji (EX-B 2), positive sensitive points, etc. were selected. In addition, the patients in the pricking-cupping group were treated with pricking-cupping therapy, seven-star needle was used to tap the acupoints and positive sensitive points, and cupping was added after slight bleeding. The patients in the acupuncture-cupping group were treated with conventional acupuncture and cupping. Both groups were treated once every other day, three times a week, for two consecutive weeks. The difference of Young's modulus value, pain visual analogue scale (VAS) score and neck disability index (NDI) score were observed before treatment, after the first treatment, after one-week treatment and after two-week treatment, and the efficacy was evaluated in the two groups. At each time point after treatment, the difference of Young's modulus value, VAS scores and NDI scores in the two groups were lower than those before treatment (P<0.001). Except for the NDI score after two-week treatment, all the indexes in the pricking-cupping group were lower than those in the acupuncture-cupping group (P<0.001). The total effective rate was 91.4% (32/35) in the pricking-cupping group, which was higher than 68.6% (24/35) in the acupuncture-cupping group (P<0.05). The pricking-cupping therapy could improve trapezius muscle elasticity, relieve pain and improve cervical function in patients of CSR with qi stagnation and blood stasis, which is more effective than acupuncture-cupping therapy.