OBJECTIVETo study the clinical results of needle Dao for the treatment of subacromial impingement syndrome.

METHODSFrom September 2013 to August 2014, 90 patients with subacromial impingement syndrome were treated, including 61 females and 29 males, with the average age of (55.21±8.30) years old(ranged, 45 to 65 years old), and mean course of disease (3.49±2.98) months (ranged, 4 weeks to 7 months). Twenty-six patients had pains in left shoulder, and 64 patients had pains in right shoulder. Under local anesthesia, needle Dao was performed to release the pain point at the lower edge of the acromion and the subacromial adhesion. By observing the abduction of shoulder joint, anterior flexion and lifting, internal rotation and external rotation, shoulder pain score, the number of cases cured, markedly effective, effective and ineffective after treatment were counted, and the curative effect of needle Dao for the treatment of subacromial impingement syndrome was evaluated.

RESULTSAll the patients completed the treatment successfully without obvious adverse reactions. All the patients were followed up for more than 12 months. The visual analogue scale(VAS) decreased from preoperative 7.72±5.42 to postoperative 1.35±0.78(=15.89, <0.01). The Constant score at the 12th month after operation increased from preoperative 58.89±15.63 to 83.17±19.11(=28.48, <0.01). Overall efficacy evaluation was that, 46 cases were cured, 33 cases were markedly effective, 11 cases were effective, and 0 cases were invalid.

CONCLUSIONSThe advantage of needle Dao in the treatment of subacromial impingement syndrome is the minimally invasive treatment of the underlying lesions. The disadvantage is that it can not deal with the impact caused by bone abnormalities.