Presented at the 2013 AAPM Annual Meeting « Back

Effectiveness of Electroacupuncture for Trigger Points in Gluteal Region on Pain Management of Patients with Lumbosacral Radiculopathy

Ali Jalali, MD, a.jalali.md@gmail.com¹, Farhad Adelmanesh, MD¹, (1) Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

Introduction: Trigger point in Gluteal region (GTrP) is prevalent in more than 70% of the patients with lumbosacral radiculopathy. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of electroacupuncture on these patients’ pain. Material and Methods: Twenty-eight patients with lumbosacral radiculopathy and GTrP were included in a before-after clinical trial. Each patient was considered as his/her own control. Treatment protocol was three session of electroacupuncture in gluteal area every other day. Each session lasted 20 minutes. There was no other treatment between sessions. Patients completed Persian version of Short Form McGill Pain Questionnaire 2, and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) before the first treatment session. The questionnaire was administered for the second time after third therapeutic session; in addition to Patient Global Impression of Change (PGIC). The study was approved by local research committee and informed consent was taken. Results: Patients included 16 females and 12 males with mean age of 46.2±5.8 years. Eleven had right sided pain, 12 left sided and five reported bilateral pain. Pain duration ranged between 3 and 16 weeks. Pain score was changed from 128.6±13.1 to 53.8±11.8 (P<0.01). VAS decreased from 7.46±2.62 to 3.88±1.92 (P<0.01); and PGIC revealed much improvement in 85.7 % of patients. Conclusion: Three session of electroacupuncture in gluteal region of patients with lumbosacral radiculopathy and GTrP can significantly alleviate patients’ pain. References: 1) Adelmanesh F, Arvantaj A, Rashki H, Ketabchi S, Montazeri A, Raissi G. Results from the translation and adaptation of the Iranian Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire (I-SF-MPQ): preliminary evidence of its reliability, construct validity and sensitivity 2) Harden RN, Bruehl SP, Gass S et al. Signs and symptoms of the myofascial pain syndrome: a national survey of pain management providers. Clinical Journal of Pain 2000;16:64-72. 3) Alvarez DJ, Rockwell PG. Trigger points: Diagnosis and management. American family physician 2002;65:653-660.

Funding: None