Specific Irritability of Acupuncture Points as an Early Symptom of Multiple Sclerosis

Abstract

28 patients suffering from multiple sclerosis were treated by acupuncture. The age of the patients ranged from 24 to 60 yr. Results of the treatment were satisfactory, but remarkable spontaneous remissions, characteristic for this illness, make any treatment difficult to evaluate. In this article the peculiar behaviour of all treated patients is described: increased sensibility of the skin over the acupuncture loci, while insertion of the acupuncture needles provoke spasms, clonus and even tonic-clonic contractions of the muscles of the extremities. This phenomenon is very specific and can be used as an early sign of this ill-fated illness.

Comparison of the effect of two types of acupuncture on quality of life in secondary progressive multiple sclerosis: a preliminary single-blind randomized controlled trial

“…Participants were not unduly concerned by these responses since they experienced similar spasms at other times. Muscle spasms, clonus and tonic-clonic contractions in people with multiple sclerosis during acupuncture, were noted by Steinberger in 1986, 31 but we are unaware of any other similar reports in the literature since this time. The possibility of provoking lower limb muscle spasms in those individuals with multiple sclerosis with spasticity needs to be discussed as part of the consent process.…”