Modified Moxibustion therapy for low back pain relief

The Journal of Pain and Research reported interesting findings about low back pain with Ma’s bamboo-based moxibustion. A randomized controlled trial conducted by Kaiyang Xue et al. demonstrated the potential of altered moxibustion to alleviate the symptoms of low back pain in patients with LDH, supporting further exploration as a treatment option.

All in all, 312 LDH patients suffering from back pain were randomly assigned to receive the therapies under consideration (Ma’s bamboo-based moxibustion or acupuncture). Change in the visual analogue scale (VAS) score on the 14th day compared to the baseline score was considered the primary efficacy outcome. Modified Japanese Orthopaedic Association (M-JOA) score, VAS score, Oswestry disability index (ODI) and the content of β-endorphin (β-EP) and substance-P (SP) were the secondary outcomes. Adverse events were also noted.

A total of 304 patients, aged 21 to 65 years, were included for the efficacy analysis. No statistically significant difference was found on Day 14 amongst the groups in terms of VAS score. Substantial changes in M-JOA, VAS and ODI scores were revealed in both the groups (p < 0.001), increased β-EP levels and decreased SP levels. On Day 28, scores of the bamboo-based moxibustion group's, M-JOA and ODI were lower than those of the acupuncture group.