Acupuncture treatment improves nerve conduction in peripheral neuropathy

[Guest guest]

Eur J Neurol. 2007 Mar;14(3):276-81.

Acupuncture treatment improves nerve conduction in peripheral

neuropathy.

Schroder S, Liepert J, Remppis A, Greten JH.

Heidelberg School of Chinese Medicine, Heidelberg, Germany.

The etiology of peripheral neuropathy (PN) often remains elusive

resulting in a lack of objective therapeutic strategies. We

conducted a pilot study to evaluate the therapeutic effect of

acupuncture on PN as measured by changes in nerve conduction and

assessment of subjective symptoms.

One hundred and ninety-two consecutive patients with PN as diagnosed

by nerve conduction studies (NCS) were evaluated over a period of 1

year. Of 47 patients who met the criteria for PN of undefined

etiology, 21 patients received acupuncture therapy according to

classical Chinese Medicine as defined by the Heidelberg Model, while

26 patients received the best medical care but no specific treatment

for PN.

Sixteen patients (76%) in the acupuncture group improved

symptomatically and objectively as measured by NCS, while only four

patients in the control group (15%) did so. Three patients in the

acupuncture group (14%) showed no change and two patients an

aggravation (10%), whereas in the control group seven showed no

change (27%) and 15 an aggravation (58%).

Importantly, subjective improvement was fully correlated with

improvement in NCS in both groups. The data suggest that there is a

positive effect of acupuncture on PN of undefined etiology as

measured by objective parameters.