Role of by in treatment of (sciatica): A pilot study.

Introduction: The incidence rate of (sciatica) is quite significant as more than three-quarters of the world's population are affected by the disease. It is characterized by the onset of (pain), (pricking), and (stiffness), initially in (gluteal region) and then radiating distally to (low back), (knee), (thigh) till (feet). The patients suffering from have restricted movements due to painful limb, affecting the daily routine activities.

Aim: To assess the role of (blood letting) done by in the patients suffering from .

Materials And Methods: The study was conducted on twenty patients who had reported for the treatment of at an Ayurvedic hospital. was done on (gluteal region) or (low back) region with the help of 18 no. needle and () in four settings (0, 5, 10 and 15 day). The sign and symptoms, namely , , , and (fasiculation) were given scores depending on their severity. The patients were also assessed for straight-leg raise (SLR) test. Follow-up was done at an interval of 5 days for three times and the scores were noted down before and after treatment. The scores were analyzed by SPSS 18 software using Student's -test.

Results: Marked reduction in severity of mean scores of , , , and was seen in the patients after the use of for , which was statistically significant.

Conclusions: is the simple and effective treatment (in adjunct to other treatment) for reducing , , , and in .