Cervical spondylosis is very common among the middle-aged and elderly. Clinically, four types may be distinguished: radicular; spinal; sympathetic and vertebral artery.
A result of compression or irritation of nerves and blood vessels by the protruding and degenerative intervertebral disc(s), it is characterised by pain, soreness and numbness of neck, shoulder and upper arm. Paralysis of limbs, incontinence, and vertigo may be found in severe cases. It falls in the traditional Chinese medical category of Bi disorders, which is thought to be due to invasion by evil wind and cold, leading to stagnancy of Qi (natural energy) and blood and obstruction of communication and energy channels. For most cases, nonsurgical treatments are preferred to surgical intervention; acupuncture treatment is receiving increasing emphasis as nonsurgical treatment.
Body acupuncture: The commonest approach is body acupuncture, in which local points are usually selected though remote points along the involved channel are chosen sometimes as supplementary ones. The acupuncture points are stimulated with medium intensity and the needles are retained for 30 minutes. In a study at China Academy of TCM, of the 250 cases treated, effective rate for neck and shoulder pain was in 97.6 per cent while that for numbness of fingers was 89.54 per cent.
Blood Letting: Blood letting in the broadest sense includes bleeding with cupping (bleeding into subcutaneous tissue) and plum-blossom acupuncture. It is aimed at removing obstruction in channels. In the approach called “Bleeding & Cupping”, an acupuncture point is tapped with needle and finally cups are applied. In a study at China Academy of TCM, of the 38 cases treated, cure was obtained in 23; it was effective in 14 and had no effect in one.
Moxibustion with warmed needles: With this approach, acupuncture is first done before ignited moxa is applied to the needle fixed in point. In the similar study, of the 22 cases treated, marked effect was noted in seven, moderate effect in 22 and no effect in three.
Ear Acupuncture: Main points in the ear for liver, kidney, and neck which are used every time, and the complementary points for endocrine, sympathetic, spleen, shenmen, heart, taiyang, occiput, and shoulder are marked. Ear Press needles are fixed over the points with adhesive tape for 10 to 15 days. In the similar study, of the 51 cases treated, cure was found in 30, marked effect was seen in 18 and moderate effect in three.
It has also been found that close correlation exists between clinical symptomatology and bone pathology of the involved cervical vertebrae on the one hand and reactions found in the cervical vertebrae region in the ear on the other, and that ear pressing induced significant changes in plasma monoamines which showed clear correlation with therapeutic effects. All these findings demonstrated the definitive effects of acupuncture.
The current trend is to adopt a comprehensive approach, which shows better effects for most cases. Examples include acupuncture, electroacupuncture, ear acupuncture and cupping all combined into one.
In short, rational and wise combinations of therapies to offset each other’s weaknesses promise to give better results. It would be reasonable to expect optimal effects from a comprehensive approach of acupuncture.
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