[Multiple verruca plantaris treated with modified fire-needle technique and herbal bathing-repairing therapy of TCM: a randomized controlled trial].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical effect of modified fire-needle technique and herbal bathing-repairing therapy of TCM on multiple verruca plantaris. METHODS: Seventy patients with multiple verruca plantaris were randomly divided into an observation group (35 cases, 1 case was eliminated) and a control group (35 cases, 2 cases dropped out). In the control group, the herbal bathing-repairing therapy of TCM was adopted. In the observation group, besides the treatment as the control group, fire needling and cauterization were delivered on the base of skin lesion or the sites with rich blood vessels under the dermoscope. The intervention was provided once a week, one course of treatment was composed of 3 weeks, and two courses were required in each group. The score of the self-designed symptom scale, the score of dermatology life quality index (DLQI) and the area of typical skin lesion were observed before and after treatment. The clinical effect was evaluated after treatment and the recurrence was assessed 2 months after treatment completion in the two groups. RESULTS: After treatment, the scores of the self-designed symptom scale and DLQI were lower and the area of typical skin lesion was smaller compared with those before treatment in the two groups (P<0.05). The scores of the self-designed symptom score and DLQI in the observation group were reduced (P<0.05), and the area of typical lesion was smaller (P<0.05) in comparison with those in the control group. The total effective rate was 91.2% (31/34) in the observation group, higher than that in the control group (60.6%, 20/33, P<0.05). The recurrence rate was 6.5% (2/31) in the observation group, lower than that in the control group (35.0%, 7/20, P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Modified fire-needle technique combined with herbal bathing-repairing therapy ameliorates clinical symptoms and the quality of life in the patients with multiple verruca plantaris and reduces the recurrence of the disease.

[Therapeutic effect of intradermal needling combined with rehabilitation intervention on knee osteoarthritis in the middle and early stages].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of intradermal needing combined with rehabilitation intervention on middle and early knee osteoarthritis. METHODS: Seventy patients were randomly divided into an observation group and a control group, 35 cases in each group. Excluding the dropping cases, finally, 34 cases in the observation group and 32 cases in the control group were included in the statistics. Intradermal needing combined with rehabilitation intervention were given in the observation group, the intradermal needing was applied at Dubi (ST 35), Neixiyan (EX-LE 8), Xuehai (SP 10), Liangqiu (ST 34), Yanglingquan (GB 34), ashi point, and retained for 24 h; the simple conventional rehabilitation intervention was given in the control group. The visual analogue scale (VAS) was used to evaluate knee pain before treatment, the end of initial treatment, 1 month after treatment, and 3 months after treatment. The Western Ontario and McMaster Osteoarthritis index (WOMAC) was used to assess the joint function of the knee, the active knee flexion range (ROM) was used to assess the joint mobility of the knee before treatment and 1 month after treatment, and the efficacy of the two groups was evaluated. RESULTS: At the end of the initial treatment, the VAS score in the observation group were significantly improved as compared with that before treatment and the control groups (P<0.05), but there was no significant difference in the control group compared with that before treatment (P>0.05). After 1 month of treatment, the VAS score, WOMAC score and ROM measurement in the two groups were significantly improved as compared with those before treatment (P<0.05), and the observation group was superior to the control group (P<0.05); the total effective rate in the observation group was 97.1% (33/34), which was better than 81.3% (26/32) in the control group (P<0.05). At the follow-up, the VAS scores in the two groups were slightly higher than those after 1 month of treatment, but the difference was still statistically significant as compared with those before treatment (P<0.05), and the observation group was still superior to the control group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The combination of intradermal needing combined with rehabilitation intervention can effectively alleviate knee pain and improve joint function. It has a beneficial effect on the rehabilitation of middle and early knee osteoarthritis.