AIM: To observe the clinical effect of acupuncture combined with traction therapy for lumbar intervertebral disc protrusion (LIDP), and evaluate the curative values of acupuncture for LIDP. METHODS: From September 2003 to August 2006, 90 LIDP patients were selected from the Jinan Electrical Hospital, and randomly divided into observation group and control group with 45 cases in each group. (1) Both of two groups received traction treatment besides resting on the platform bed; additionally, the observation group was given acupuncture. (2) Lumbar traction: the patients lie on the back on the traction bed for countertraction to the chest and pelvis with the strength of 1/4 to 1/2 of the body mass for 30 minutes, once daily, 6 times as one course for 4 courses except 1 day between two courses. (3) Acupuncture: the main acpoint was paravertebral Ahshi acupoint, and the subsidiary acupoints included Huantiao, Weizhong and Chengshan. The patients were at side-lying position to make the normal side down and affected side up; at prone position if bilateral affection. After routine sterilization, the needle was inserted until break the skin, to adjust the needling direction at 70 to 80 degrees between needle and skin, and slowly insert along the spinal axis till certain depth, 2 to 3 cun according to the body mass, when the patients felt locally tingling and distending, or electrified, then continued to insert to the distal lower limb before muscular twitch. Those feelings named needling sensation. The resistance from hard things such as periosteum below needle indicated that the needle tip might touch the transverse process or pedicle of vertebral arch, it was better to withdraw the needle a little to adjust the tip direction to find out the spinal nerve root near the pedicle of vertebral arch of interbertebral space. Then the needle was twirled slightly or the needling site was pressed with thumb to radiate the needling sensation to the hind limb until the tolerance of patients. When acupuncturing the Huantiao, the needling sensation should pass the hind limb to the ankle; when acupuncturing the Weizhong and Chengshan, the patient was at dorsal position, and the doctor lifted the affected limb to insert the needle for lifting and thrusting technique until the foot felt tingling and electrified. The acupuncture was performed for 30 minutes every time, 3 times midway, 6 times as one course for 4 courses except 1 day between two courses. (1) The pain degree was evaluated by visual analogue scale; (2) The curative effect standards were complicated according to the Guideline of New Traditional Chinese Medicine in Clinical Research for Lumbar Intervertebral Disc Protrusion (protocol). RESULTS: Totally 90 patients completed the case observation and their data were involved in the result analysis. 1 The pain scores of observation group were lower than those of the control group significantly (1.91 +/- 0.93, 3.58 +/- 1.52, p < 0.01). (2) The excellent rate of the observation group was higher than that of the control group (86.67%, 57.78%, p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Acupuncture combined traction for treating LIDP has a better effect than traction therapy alone. The method of acupuncture at Ahshi, and needling sensation radiated to hind limb involves less acupoints and has a good curative effect.

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