Therapeutic Efficacy and the Impact of the "Dose" Effect of Acupuncture to Treat Sciatica: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Study.

ABSTRACT:

Purpose

To investigate the required sample size for and feasibility of a full-scale randomized controlled trial examining the impact of the "dose" effect of acupuncture in treating sciatica.

Patients and methods

Fifty-seven patients with sciatica, aged 35-70 years, were recruited and screened. Thirty-one participants were randomly assigned to receive "low-dose" manual acupuncture (MAL) (n= 15) or "high-dose" manual acupuncture (MAH) (n=16). The acupuncture treatment was administered twice weekly for 4 weeks. The primary outcome was the visual analog scale (VAS) score at baseline and after 4 weeks of acupuncture treatment. Secondary outcomes included the Roland Disability Questionnaire for Sciatica (RDQS), the Sciatica Bothersomeness Index (SBI), and the World Health Organiza

SUBMITTER: Liu CH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6942513 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature