Comparison of the effectiveness of acupuncture treatment and local anaesthetic injection for XXXX : a randomised controlled clinical trial.

@entity1 @entity1643 @entity158
OBJECTIVE: To compare the effectiveness of repeated acupuncture stimulation and local anaesthetic injection at the most @entity158 points in @entity1 with @entity1643 . METHOD: This randomised controlled clinical trial involved 26 @entity1 with @entity1643 randomly allocated to either an acupuncture group (n = 13) or a local anaesthetic injection group (n = 13). Both acupuncture and anaesthetic injection were performed at two to five of the most @entity158 points on the lower back once weekly for 4 weeks. In the acupuncture group, a 0.18 mm diameter stainless steel needle was inserted to a depth of 10-20 mm and manual stimulation was applied. In the local anaesthetic injection group, a 0.5 mm diameter needle was inserted to a depth of 10-20 mm and a local anaesthetic was injected. @entity1 evaluated @entity158 using a Visual Analogue Scale immediately before and after the first treatment, before each subsequent treatment, and at 2 weeks and 4 weeks after completion of treatment. RESULTS: There was a significant difference between the two groups in the change in Visual Analogue Scale @entity158 scores (p<0.01), with acupuncture providing more favourable results than local anaesthetic injection. The reduction in @entity158 score from baseline calculated at each time period was significantly different between the two groups after the first (p<0.05) and final (p<0.01) treatments, and during the follow-up period (after 2 weeks (p<0.01) and 4 weeks (p<0.05)). CONCLUSION: Both injection and acupuncture relieved @entity158 , but acupuncture was superior for the immediate and sustained effects, suggesting that it is a useful treatment for @entity1643 . The difference in the effects may be attributable to differences in the mechanism of @entity158 suppression.
