During the pruning season, tea growers work longer hours, and many present symptoms of ifferent varieties from overwork.
A recent survey conducted by the authors showed that increased loads are placed on the elbow of the farmers engaged in tea-tree pruning. In some cases, changes in the elbow joint structure were visible on X-ray films.
1. Total number of the subjects covered: 47 (25 men and 22 women)
2. Age: 32-89 (53.7±12.2)
3. Average number of years engaged in the work: 31.8±15.7 for men: 26.9±4.53 for women
4. Working hours per day: 8.30±2.51 (Thirteen persons or 27.6% said that they work more than nine hours.)
5. Chief complaints and symptoms: pain in the elbow region and the outside of the forearm
6. Radiographic findings: arthropathy 58.3%: normal 41.7%
7. Impairment in mobility of the joint: minor degree

Over the past three years, we have treated 10 patients suffering from delayed ulnar nerve paralysis. Of the patients, five were tea pickers. One tea picker had both elbows affected. With one exception, the cases were diagnosed as degenerative arthropathy. All the patients were of advanced age.
When they first visited our hospital, their chief complaint was numbness in the hand, which was subsequntly confirmed clinically. They did not complain about muscular atrophy of the hand and clawhand deformity.
Surgical operation was performed on the patients, excepting one case. After operation, theyfared well. Subjective symptoms were improved. However, clinical evaluation did not always agree with the degree of satisfaction on the part of the patients.

[Objective] The purpose of this cross-sectional questionnaire-based study is to investigate the challenges of adverse events during treatment by acupuncture and moxibustion to an athlete. [Methods] In total, 1,804 subjects, including athletes who participated in marathons and university athletes were enrolled in this study. The survey was conducted by distributing the questionnaire or via online questionnaire to the athletes who fit the criteria for the study. The questionnaires were collected after consent was received from the participants; online questionnaires were also collected. The questionnaire was examined for age, sex, and type of competition, purpose of the acupuncture treatment and the actual effects, and treated area, content of adverse event, number of times the subjects received acupuncture, and informed consent, and free description of adverse events.[Results] In total, 1,525 (84.5%) valid responses to the questionnaires were received. The survey analyzed 841 subjects (55.1%) who experienced acupuncture and moxibustion. The following responses about adverse events of acupuncture were obtained: "pain at time of needle insertion"; 17.0%, "subcutaneous-bleeding"; 10.1% and "pain and feeling of heaviness due to the needle": 10.0%, among others. For moxibustion, responses included "burns"; 5.9% and "malaise"; 5.8%, among others. In the free description, there were 17 descriptions of discomfort due to excessive stimulation and difficulty in movement during exercise. Of the questions regarding whether or not they received informed consent, 215 were received orally (25.6%), 34 were received in written form (4.0%), 99 were received both orally and in written form (11.8%).[Discussion and Conclusion] Acupuncture for athletes causes a certain rate of adverse events. It was suggested that guidelines for athletes to receive acupuncture safely and training and education for practitioners are important.

[Objective]To investigate the effects of acupuncture on sports activities of athletes[Methods]A total of 1,804 athletes were targeted. The method used was a collective survey. Questionnaires were administered after obtaining consent from the participants; online questionnaires were also provided. The questionnaire evaluated profile (sex, age); sensation immediately after acupuncture treatment, duration of stimulus sensation, stimulus intensity, stimulus sensation, and therapeutic effect; timing of acupuncture treatment; and questions related to acupuncture as to whether the acupuncture caused any adverse effects on play (movement) or showed any positive effects.[Results]In total, 1,525 (84.5%) valid responses were obtained. The survey analyzed 841 subjects (55.1%) who underwent acupuncture. The most common response after acupuncture treatment was that the subjects felt lighter and were able to move more easily; 43.9% of subjects gave this response. In addition, 10.6% of respondents said that they continued to feel pain similar to the sensation during acupuncture treatment and 7.7% said they felt weak. The most common response at 59.8% was that the sensation felt during acupuncture disappeared quickly after treatment was ended, 58.6% of subjects said that the sensation felt after acupuncture was optimal, and 48.3% responded that the sensation from treatment remained and a positive effect was observed. The most common timing for receiving acupuncture for 21.8% of subjects was after practice or a match: [Discussion and Conclusion]Acupuncture for athletes should be performed according to the guidelines, taking into account the competition schedule and type of competition and the appropriate amount of acupuncture stimulation, thereby preventing problems during competition.