Clinical effects of acupuncture after surgical operation in patients with prolapse of the lumbar intervertebral disc.

Objective: To investigate the clinical effects of acupuncture after surgical operation in patients with prolapse of the lumbar intervertebral disc (PLID).

Methods: Sixty-nine patients in this series, who had undergone the removal of nucleus pulposus and the intervertebral fusion as well, were randomly divided into a treatment group of 35 cases and a control group of 34 cases. The former was treated by acupuncture and conventional rehabilitation therapy, and the latter only by the rehabilitation therapy. The therapeutic effects were evaluated according to the scoring system stipulated by Japanese Orthopedics Association (JOA).

Results: In the treatment group, the average functional recovery rates in 3-month, 6-month and one-year periods were respectively 49.93%, 90.31% and 95.08%; while the rates were repesctively 26.24%, 63.42% and 71.36% in the control group, showing statistically significant difference between the two groups (P<0.05).

Conclusions: Acupuncture can confirmatively promote the functional recovery for'patients with prolapse of the lumbar intervertebral disc after surgical removal of nucleus pulposus and with intervertebral fusion.