AIM: To probe into the curative effect of different acupuncture-moxibustion in improving pain and functional disturbance of limbs in patients with multiple lumbar disc herniation (LDH) at different stages. METHODS: Totally 197 patients with LDH were selected from the special department for cervical vertebral, lumbar and leg pain in Longyan Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fujian Province from January 2002 to December 2004. They were randomly divided into treatment group (n = 100) and control group (n = 97). The patients underwent acupuncture-moxibustion, manipulation or drug therapy. RESULTS: The total effective rate in the treatment group was 94%, better than that in the control group (58%) (Chi2 = 10.02, p < 0.01). The VRS score was (1.32 +/- 0.31) points and angle for straight leg raising test was (70.00 +/- 15.00) degrees, which were significantly improved after treatment in the treatment group (t = 1.841, t = 2.103, p < 0.05), while those in the control group were (3.11 +/- 0.23) points and (50.00 +/- 20.00) degrees respectively, thus, those in the treatment group were significantly superior to those in the control group (t = 2.324, t = 2.133, p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Different acupuncture-moxibustion used at different stages of LDH can relieve muscular spasm-induced pain so as to obivously alleviate the clinical symptoms of LDH.

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