Table 7 Acupuncture and pharmacopuncture treatment used for LSS: data compiled and structured according to STRICTA standards
STRICTA checklist items | Acupuncture | Pharmacopuncture | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Acupuncture rationale | 1a) Style of acupuncture | Refer to Table 4. | 1a) Type of pharmacopuncture | Refer to Table 4. | ||
1b) Reasoning for treatment provided | Anatomical structure that is probable cause of symptoms (e.g. shortened quadratus lumborum, shortened psoas muscles)a | 85 (69.1) | 1b) Reasoning for treatment provided | Physical stimulation of solution (i.e. irrigation of inflammation area, desensitization effect brought on through pain on injection) | 123 (100) | |
Tender points, trigger points, or other points that evoke a painful response on palpation | 70 (56.9) | |||||
Pathological spine level as confirmed through imaging (e.g. level of disc herniation) | 63 (51.2) | Chemical efficacy of solution (i.e. pharmaceutical effect of major componants)a | 120 (97.6) | |||
Effective acupoints as observed through clinical experience | 47 (38.2) | |||||
Ashi points (site of pain) | 44 (35.8) | Acupuncture effects of pharmacopuncture needle (i.e. effect of pharmacopuncture needle itself) | 115 (93.5) | |||
Acupoints following Korean medicine principle (e.g. GB30, BL40, BL57) | 34 (27.6) | |||||
Academic knowledge from research articles, clinical practice guidelines | 14 (11.4) | Placebo effect (i.e. effect from patient expectation) | 7 (5.7) | |||
Knowledge from formal education | 12 (9.8) | |||||
Details of needling | 2a) Number of needle insertions per patient per session | 12.5 ± 5.1 | 2a) Number of acupoint injections per patient per session (range) | 3.1 ~ 6.1 | ||
2a) Amount of pharmacopuncture solution injected per session (range, cc) | 1.3 ~ 3.5 | |||||
2b) Names of acupoints used | Refer to Table 4. | 2b) Names of acupoints used | Refer to Table 4. | |||
2c) Depth of insertion (cm) | 3.2 ± 1.4 | 2c) Depth of insertion (range, cm) | 1.7 ~ 3.7 | |||
2d) Responses sought | De qi sensation | 5.5 ± 1.4 | ||||
Muscle twitch response | 5.0 ± 1.4 | |||||
2e) Needle stimulation | Motion Style Acupuncture Treatment (MSAT) | 51 (41.5) | ||||
Lifting and thrusting (提揷) | 64 (52.0) | |||||
Holding and twisting (捻轉) | 62 (50.4) | |||||
Percentage of patients receiving electroacupuncture (%) | 91.3 ± 19.9 | |||||
2f) Needle retention time (minutes) | 14.2 ± 2.0 | |||||
2g) Needle type | Diameter of needle (mm) | 0.3 ± 0.04 | ||||
Treatment regimen | 3a) Number of sessions | Refer to Table 1. | 3a) Number of sessions | Refer to Table 1. | ||
3b) Frequency of treatment sessions (sessions/week) | 1.9 ± 0.4 | 3b) Frequency of treatment sessions (sessions/week) | 1.9 ± 0.4 | |||
3b) Duration of treatment sessions (minutes) | 18.7 ± 11.7 | 3b) Duration of treatment sessions (range, minutes) | 2.3 ~ 4.3 | |||
Other components of treatment | 4a) Other interventions administered | Refer to Table 1. | 4a) Other interventions administered | Refer to Table 1. | ||
Practitioner background | 5) Description of participating acupuncturists | Refer to Table 1. | 5) Description of participating acupuncturists | Refer to Table 1. | ||