Qihuang Needle Therapy for Motor Symptoms in Parkinson's Disease: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease (PD) often respond incompletely to medication, highlighting the need for effective adjunctive therapies. Acupuncture may offer benefits, but high-quality evidence for specialized techniques such as Qihuang needle therapy is lacking.

Our goal was to evaluate the efficacy of Qihuang needle therapy for improving motor symptoms in PD patients.

This single-center, randomized, single-blind, sham-controlled trial, enrolled 140 patients with idiopathic PD, who were assigned to either Qihuang needle therapy or sham acupuncture for nine sessions over 6 weeks, in addition to their stable medications. The primary outcome was the change in the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale Part III (UPDRS-III) score from baseline to week 6. Secondary outcomes included changes in the Non-Motor Symptoms Scale (NMSS) and the 39-item Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39).

Overall, 129 participants (92.1%) completed the trial. The Qihuang needle group showed significantly greater improvement in UPDRS-III at week 6 (between-group difference: 8.45 points; 95% confidence interval [CI], 5.49-11.42; P < 0.001), sustained at 10-week follow-up (10.88 points; 95% CI, 7.89-13.87; P < 0.001). Significant improvements were also noted in non-motor symptoms (NMSS) and quality of life (PDQ-39) at both time points (all P < 0.001). Greatest efficacy was observed in postural instability and gait disorder subtypes.

Qihuang needle therapy significantly improved motor and non-motor symptoms and quality of life in PD patients compared with that via sham acupuncture, with benefits sustained for ≥1 month. These findings support Qihuang needle therapy as a safe and effective adjunctive treatment for PD. © 2026 The Author(s). Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.