Among the 62 patients, 39 cases (62.9%) are treated 3 times, 3 (4.8%) treated 6 times, 4 (6.5%) treated 5 times, 7 (11.3%) treated 4 times and 9 (14.5%) treated twice.
3 RESULTS
Following acumicroprobe treatment, 23 cases (37.1%) are cured (symptoms and signs disappeare completely and the patient can go to work or has a normal life) , 19 (30.7%) have remarkable improment (tinnitus and vertigo vanish but the patient still has uncomfortable sensation in the neck region when having an overwork), 15 (24.2%) have amelioration (tinnitus and vertigo attack occasionally after getting tired, the patient has an uncomfortable sensation in the neck ), and 5 (8.1%) have no any apparent changes. The total effective rate is 91.9%.
4 DISCUSSION
In clinic, the morbidity of vertebroarterial type cervical spondylopathy is second to that of nerve root type. In the treatment of vertebroarterial type cervical spondylopathy, the Western medicine often pays more attention to the local factors. In fact, local blocking therapy does not work well for it, while surgical operation does not indicate for most cervical spondylopathy patients with paroxysmal attack or with lighter symptoms and signs and has a greater risk.
TCM holds that cervico-shoulder ache, soreness in the waist and loins, vertigo, tinnitus, headache and inability of the neck in moving indicate disorders of the internal organs and meridians. Deficiency of the liver, kidney-essence and blood leads to malnutrition of the muscles, bones and brain, inducing head distending pain, vertigo and cervico-shoulder ache. The kidney is in charge of the bones and the waist is the house of the kidney. Hypofunction of both liver and kidney may be responsible for soreness and weakness of the back and knees. Deficiency of both essence and blood may result in malnutrition of the brain, forgetfulness and poor sleep may appear. The Kidney Meridian and the Bladder Meridian are exteriorly-interiorly related, if the kidney loses its function in controlling the bones, cervical hyperosteogeny and degeneration of the joints will occur, involving the Bladder Meridian. The Bladder Meridian passes through the neck and back, thus, cervico-shoulder discomforts and neck soreness present. The superficial disorders can also spread to the internal part of the body, when pathogenic wind, cold and dampness invade the body to block the Bladder Meridian, the cold and dampness will accumulate in the muscles and tendons to generate scleroma or cord and cervico-shoulder ache. When the pathogens spread to the interior of the body via the Kidney Meridian, hypofunction of the kidney-qi, failure of the water in qi-transformation and inability of the nutrients to supplement the brain marrow and to nourish the ear, tinnitus, deafness and vertigo will happen. In 62 cases of the present paper, their symptoms and signs correspond to the above-mentioned analysis of pathogenic causes and pathogenesis.
In the treatment of 62 cases of this study, the treatment spots selected are located at the bilateral sides of the middle neck, vertebroarterial spot and the superior angle of the scapula are the place where the Bladder Meridian passes through. The Taiyang Meridian governs Ying and Wei to be in discharge of the superficial part of the whole body. The Taiyang Meridian goes up to the forehead, cross the vertex, enter the cranium and connect with the brain, then emerges and goes to the back part of the neck. One of its branches descends from the neck to the scapula region. The Bladder Meridian of Foot-Taiyang and the Kidney Meridian connect with each other to form an exterior-interior relationship. The meridians travel through muscles and tendons. When the acumicroprobe pricks the skin and muscles to induce a stronger sore and distending feelings , it is considered to be “Deqi” (achieving needling sensations). Performing Li’s needle-shaking technique can dredge meridians to accelerate blood circulation, relieve muscular spasm, and disperse the muscular induration. Acupuncture stimulation of the posterior branch of the cervical nerve can trigger somato-visceral reflex or viscero-visceral reflex to active the visceral nerve reflex pathway, eliminating the spasmodic contraction of the vertebral arterial smooth muscles to improve blood supply. Simultaneously, incising the narrow bone fiber cannel where the cervical posterior nerve branch passes through can remove the tissues’ oppression onto the nerve to relieve the muscular spasm of the neck region, leading to decrease of the pressure-stress of the intervertebral discs, widening of the intervertebral spaces, elimination of the vertebral arterial torsion and improvement of blood supply. In this way, when the acumicroprobe enters the focus to promote qi and blood circulation, cause the meridians to function normally, and to make the muscles and tendons relax, the patient’s symptoms and signs of vertigo, tinnitus, headache and neck pain, forgetfulness and poor sleep, etc. will be eliminated. The acumicroprobe has double functions of both acupuncture treatment of TCM and relaxing technique of Western medicine. Therefore, this therapy is shorter in therapeutic course, higher in the therapeutic effect and complete in the restoration of body’s functional activities. After acumicroprobe treatment , performing plucking and poking manipulations to the back neck induration and the tender-point region to relax and to regulate the muscles and tendons, and making neck traction to regulate the intervertebral joints’ locations for stripping the tissues’ adhesion, eliminating factors affecting the vertebral arterial torsion and accelerating qi and blood flow, can strengthen the effects of acumicroprobe therapy further. REFERENCES 1李殿宁. 46例颈椎病针刀加手法治疗的临床探讨.传统医学与健康老龄化研究.南京:东南大学出版社,2000,4 2 李殿宁.小针刀治疗颈椎病经络原理临床应用的探讨.全国第辣届暨江苏省第一届中医基础理论学术会议论文集,无锡:江苏省中医药学会编印,2000,6