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Safe needling depths of upper back acupoints in children: a retrospective study
Yi-Chun Ma1,2, Ching-Tien Peng3, Yu-Chuen Huang4,5
1Graduate Institute of Chinese Medicine, College of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan, ROC. yichun.mail@gmail.com.
Insights
Safe acupuncture needle depth in children
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Acupuncture Safety
- Anatomical Variations in Children
- Medical Imaging in Traditional Medicine
Background:
- Limited research exists on safe acupuncture needling depths for pediatric patients.
- Understanding anatomical variations is crucial for safe pediatric acupuncture practice.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate safe acupuncture needle depths in pediatric upper back acupoints.
- To analyze variations in safe depth based on sex, age, weight, and BMI.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of computed tomography (CT) images from children aged 4-18.
- Direct measurement of safe needling depths for 23 upper back acupoints.
- Statistical analysis of factors influencing safe needle depth.
Main Results:
- Significant differences in safe needling depth observed between sexes and across age groups.
- Weight and Body Mass Index (BMI) were significantly correlated with safe depth.
- Weight emerged as the most critical factor influencing safe needle depth.
Conclusions:
- Pediatric sex, age, weight, and BMI are important determinants of safe upper back acupoint needling depths.
- Clinicians must consider individual variations for safe acupuncture in children.
Background:
Acupuncture is applied for treating numerous conditions in children, but few studies have examined the safe needling depth of acupoints in the pediatric population. In this study, we investigated the depths to which acupuncture needles can be inserted safely in the upper back acupoints of children and the variations in safe depth according to sex, age, weight, and body mass index (BMI).
Methods:
We retrospectively studied computed tomography (CT) images of patients aged 4 to 18 years who underwent chest CT at China Medical University Hospital between December 2004 and May 2013. The safe depths of 23 upper back acupoints in the Governor Vessel (GV), Bladder Meridian (BL), Small Intestine Meridian (SI), Gallbladder Meridian (GB) and Spleen Meridian (SP) were measured directly from the CT images. The relationships between the safe depths of these acupoints and sex, age, body weight, and BMI were analyzed.
Results:
The results indicated significant differences in safe needling depth between boys and girls in most upper back acupoints, except at BL42, BL44, BL45, BL46, GB21 and SP21. Safe depths differed significantly depending on age (p < 0.001), weight (p ≤ 0.01), and BMI (p < 0.05). Multiple regression analysis revealed that weight was the most crucial factor in determining the safe depth.
Conclusions:
Sex, age, weight, and BMI are relevant factors in determining the safe needling depths of upper back acupoints in children. Physicians should pay attention to wide variations in needle depth when performing acupuncture.
