OBJECTIVETo analyze the researches of acupuncture and moxibustion for lumbar disc herniation (LDH) in recent 15 years and summarize the research direction and collect the knowledge structure.

METHODSThe relevant literature on acupuncture and moxibustion for the treatment of LDH was retrieved from CNKI. After Refworks format reversion, the CiteSpace software was used to create the reproductive map of the authors, research institutions and keywords in the literature on acupuncture and moxibustion for LDH.

RESULTSIn the map, 701 authors were included and 11 authors of them had published ≥ 3 papers; 740 institutions were included and 20 institutions of them had published ≥ 3 papers; 149 keywords were included and 13 keywords of them had appeared ≥ 20 times.

CONCLUSIONSIn a study of acupuncture and moxibustion for LDH, it is required to specify the nomenclature, strengthen the cooperation among institutions, promote the communication among authors and construct the treatment system, moreover, to deepen the study on the therapeutic methods, in which the researches have been conducted, and to explore a new therapeutic approach on the basis of the original therapeutic methods.