Two patients with sequelae of peripheral facial nerve palsy were treated with Facial Chuna Manual Therapy (FCMT) and acupuncture over 6 months. The House-Brackmann (HB) scale, facial nerve grading system 2.0 (FNGS), the scale of Peitersen, the scale of Murata, and the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) were used to assess the effects of treatment. The HB scale, FNGS and NRS scores showed improvement for both patients (Case 1: HB scale 5 to 3, FNGS 4 to 2, NRS 10 to 5; Case 2: HB scale 5 to 3, FNGS 4 to 3, NRS 10 to 2.5) following 6 months of treatment. The scores for the Peitersen and Murata scales showed improvement over 6 months in Case 1 (Peitersen 2 to 1, Murata 10 to 7), but there was no change in Case 2 over the test period (4 months). FCMT and acupuncture may help patients with sequelae of facial palsy.

In Korea, complex treatments such as acupotomy, acupuncture, and physical therapy are performed for lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS). Although there are reports of acupotomy as monotherapy or acupuncture treatment for LSS, pragmatic studies are lacking. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the effectiveness and safety of acupotomy for LSS to provide baseline evidence for a large-scale study. Materials and Methods: This pragmatic randomized controlled pilot study enrolled 34 participants and randomly assigned them to two groups (n=17/group). The intervention was conducted for 8 weeks. Acupotomy plus and usual care groups received acupuncture (17 acupoints) and interferential current therapy (ICT) twice weekly; however, the acupotomy plus group received an additional acupotomy (7 acupoints) for treatment of the usual care group. The primary outcome was measured using visual analog scales (VAS), and secondary outcomes were assessed using the self-rated walking distance, short-form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ), and the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI). Outcome measurements were conducted at baseline and 4, 8, and 12 weeks after the commencement of the intervention. Adverse events were assessed at each visit. Hematological and biochemical examinations were performed at screening and week 8. Results: Overall, 33 of the 34 participants completed the study, and one participant in the usual care group dropped out. In both groups, VAS scores at weeks 4, 8, and 12 significantly improved compared to baseline. Also, self-rated walking distance, SF-MPQ, and ODI scores were significantly improved at weeks 4, 8, and 12 than at baseline. However, there were no significant differences in the time-dependent and group-to-time interactions between the two groups. In addition, no severe adverse reactions were reported, and there were no significant differences in hematological and biochemical results. Conclusion:This study provides baseline data for large-scale studies on the effectiveness and safety of acupotomy in LSS. Clinical Trial Number: KCT0006234.

Introduction: Lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) is a pathological condition that causes a variety of neurological symptoms due to narrowing of the anatomical structures; usually, conservative treatment is recommended, rather than surgical treatment. Acupotomy combines conventional acupuncture with small scalpels; the procedure can be considered minimally invasive, and has recently received considerable attention in clinical practice. Still, there is a lack of data and randomized controlled trials regarding acupotomy related to LSS. Additional studies are necessary, considering the low methodological quality and small size of the study. Methods and analysis: This is a pragmatic, pilot, randomized controlled trial. The trial comprises 8 weeks of treatment, with 16 visits and a 4-week follow-up period. Forty participants diagnosed with LSS will be randomly assigned to either the experimental or control groups; both groups will receive acupuncture and interferential current therapy twice a week for 8 weeks, while the experimental group will receive an additional acupotomy intervention once a week for 8 weeks. The primary outcome will be assessed using the visual analog scale; the secondary outcome will be measured by self-rated walking distance, Oswestry Disability Index, and short-form McGill Pain Questionnaire. Measurements will be obtained prior to the start of the clinical trial, 4 weeks after the interventional procedure, 8 weeks after the procedure, and 4 weeks after the end of the interventional procedure. Blood tests and adverse reactions will be performed to ensure safety of the treatments. Conclusion: We expect that this study will provide basic data for future large-scale acupotomy studies regarding LSS.

Between May 2014 and April 2022, a total of 926 articles were retrieved from the international database, and a total of 233 articles were retrieved from the Korean database. From there, 14 studies were selected, and evaluated by the published year, terminology of the acupotomy, sample size, disease type, retention time, treatment sites, insertion depth and size of the acupotomy, treatment frequency, and duration, type of acupotomy manipulation method, evaluation index, therapeutic effects, adverse effects, and assessment of the risk of bias in randomized controlled trials. This study examined the need for additional acupotomy studies to secure an objective basis for the application of clinical treatment. Furthermore, the detailed description of the study methods and results and unified terminology can provide evidence for the efficacy of acupotomy.

No abstract