Simultaneous use of local acupoints together with points on the Governing vessel can promote functional repair after peripheral nerve injury, report Chinese investigators. The team compared the clinical efficacy of acupuncture at Governing vessel plus local channel points (GV/LC group) with acupuncture at local channel acupoints alone (LC group) in the treatment of 30 patients with peripheral nerve injury. In the GV/LC group, in addition to local channel points at the injury site, the following acupoints on the Governor vessel were stimulated: Baihui DU-20, Fengfu DU-16, Dazhui DU-14 and Shenzhu DU-12 (for injury of the upper limb), and Jizhong DU-6, Mingmen DU-4, Yaoyangguan DU-3 and Yaoshu DU-2 (for injury of the lower limb). In the LC group only local channel points along the injured nerve were selected. Both groups received electroacupuncture treatment for 30 minutes, once a day, five times per week for six weeks. Electomyographic nerve conduction tests were performed before and after acupuncture to explore the mechanism of action of the treatment. An effective response was observed in 80.0% of the patients in the GV/LC group, with greater motor nerve conduction velocity and amplitude recorded after acupuncture treatment, compared with 38.5% in the LC group. The authors conclude that electroacupuncture on specific Governing vessel acupoints promotes functional motor nerve repair after peripheral nerve injury. In addition, electromyography was performed before, during and after electroacupuncture in one patient with radial nerve injury. After a single session, the patient’s motor nerve conduction velocity increased by 23.2%, suggesting that electroacupuncture at Governing vessel acupoints has an immediate therapeutic effect on peripheral nerve injury.
Improvement in acupoint selection for acupuncture of nerves surrounding the injury site: electro-acupuncture with Governor vessel with local meridian acupoints. Neural Regen Res. 2015 Jan;10(1):128-35.
Quelle: www.jcm.co.uk