For the treatment of postherpetic neuralgia, drugs have always played a major but unsatisfactory role. As auxiliary or alternative therapies for postherpetic neuralgia, non-pharmacological interventions, such as electrical stimulation and repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, not only have shown favorable efficacy, but also can decrease adverse reactions to drugs with high safety and patient acceptance, and are benificial for management of patients with postherpetic neuralgia.

OBJECTIVETo compare the effects between fast acupuncture and retaining acupuncture for the cervical type of cervical spondylosis.

METHODSSixty patients were randomized into a fast acupuncture group and a retaining needle group, 30 cases in each one. The acupoints in the two groups were Fengchi (GB 20), Jiaji (EX-B 2, C, C, C) and Jianjing (GB 21), Jianjing 1 (Extra) and Jianjing 2 (Extra). The needles in the fast acupuncture group were out afterarrival, while those in the retaining needle group were retained for 30 min, three times a week, once the other day. One week was seen as a course and the treatment was given for 2 courses. The indices were observed before and after treatment, including Northwick Park neck pain questionnaire (NPQ), short-form McGill pain questionnaire (SF-MPQ) [pain rating index (PRI), visual analogue scale (VAS) and present pain intensity (PPI)]. The effects were compared in the two groups.

RESULTSAfter treatment, the NPQ score was lower than that before treatment in the two groups (both<0.01), and that in the fast acupuncture group was better (<0.01). All the items of SF-MPQ decreased compared with those before treatment in the two groups (all<0.01), with the better results of PRI sensation score and PRI total score in the fast acupuncture group (both<0.05). The PRI feeling score, VAS score, and PPI score were not significantly different after treatment between the two groups (all>0.05). The total effective rate in the fast acupuncture group was 83.3% (25/30), not significantly different from 76.7% (23/30) in the retaining needle group (>0.05).

CONCLUSIONFast acupuncture and retaining needle are both effective for the cervical type of cervical spondylosis, which can apparently improve the clinical symptoms. Fast acupuncture is superior to retaining acupuncture.