Exploring the effect of the waist-rubbing method on immune balance in rats with lumbar disc herniation

To evaluate the therapeutic effect of the waist-rubbing method on lumbar disc herniation (LDH) and explore its immunoregulatory mechanisms.

Forty Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into three groups: control, model, and treatment groups. The control group did not undergo modeling, while LDH models were established in the other two groups. Behavioral tests were conducted on all rats at designated time points, and neurological function scores were compared among groups. After 15 days of corresponding interventions, peripheral blood samples were collected for flow cytometric analysis of T-cell subsets. Serum levels of corticosterone (CORT), glucocorticoid receptor α (GR_α), interferon-γ (IFN-γ), interleukin-4 (IL-4), IL-17, and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) were detected using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

Compared with the control group, the model group showed significantly increased Th1/Th2 and Th17/Treg ratios, elevated serum levels of IFN-γ and IL-17, and decreased CORT, GR_α, IL-4 and TGF-β levels (all P<0.05). Compared with the model group, the treatment group exhibited significantly reduced ratios of IFN-γ+CD8+ T cells, IL-17+CD8+ T cells, FOXP3+CD4+ T cells and IL-4+CD4+ T cells, accompanied by increased serum CORT, GR_α, IL-4, and TGF-β levels and decreased IFN-γ and IL-17 levels (P<0.05).

The waist-rubbing method may alleviate autoimmune disorders in LDH by enhancing hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity and restoring Th1/Th2 and Th17/Treg balance, providing mechanistic support for the traditional concept of "tonifying the kidney to relieve pain".