RESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of heat-sensitive moxibustion (HSM) combined with naprapathy and warming needle moxibustion (WNM) combined with naprapathy on shoulder function and serum levels of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), substance P (SP), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-2 (IL-2) in patients with periarthritis of shoulder (POS). METHODS: From July 2017 to July 2020, sixty patients with POS admitted to our hospital were selected as the study subjects, and divided into HSM group (n=29) receiving HSM combined with naprapathy and WNM group receiving WNM combined with naprapathy (n=31). The changes in shoulder function, degrees of pain and serum levels of CGRP, SP, TNF-α and IL-2 were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: After treatment, the scores of myodynamia, pain, range of motion (ROM) of shoulder joint and activities of daily living (ADLs) were improved in both groups (P<0.05), and the scores in HSM group were remarkably higher than those in WNM group (P<0.05). Visual analogue scale (VAS) scores after 3 courses of treatment were lower than those after 1 and 2 courses of treatment respectively (P<0.05), and the VAS scores in HSM group were markedly lower than those in WNM group after 1, 2, and 3 courses of treatment (P<0.05). After treatment, the serum levels of CGRP, SP, TNF-α and IL-2 were decreased in both groups (P<0.05), and the levels in HSM group were noticeably lower than those in WNM group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: HSM combined with naprapathy is superior to WNM combined with naprapathy in inhibition of inflammatory factors of pain and serum inflammatory factors, alleviating the pain and promoting the restoration of shoulder function in patients with POS.