Efficacy and Safety of CT-Verified Deep Needling at the Foramen Acupoint for Lumbar Disc Herniation: A Randomized...

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of deep needling (DN) at the foramen acupoint compared to conventional needling (CN) and Huatuo Jiaji (HJ) acupuncture for lumbar disc herniation (LDH), needle depth was verified using computed tomography (CT).

In this single-center, randomized, three-arm controlled trial, 165 participants with LDH were equally assigned to either the DN, CN, or HJ group. The DN group received needling at the foramen point to a depth of 60-70 mm, confirmed by CT to ensure it reached the outer intervertebral foramen. The CN group underwent routine-depth needling, while the HJ group received standard HJ acupuncture. Treatments were administered three times a week for 4 weeks. Primary and secondary outcomes, including the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) scores, and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), were assessed at baseline, 4 weeks, and 12 weeks.

The DN group demonstrated significantly greater improvements in VAS, JOA, and ODI scores compared to the CN and HJ groups at both 4 and 12 weeks (all p < 0.05). The total efficacy rate in the DN group was 94.44%, whereas it was 78.00% in both the CN and HJ groups at 4 weeks (p = 0.0306). CT imaging confirmed accurate needle placement in the foramen region with a mean depth of 5.91 ± 0.67 cm. No serious adverse events were reported.

CT-verified DN at the foramen acupoint is a safe and superior therapeutic strategy for LDH, emphasizing the importance of precise needling depth. This study offers a reproducible protocol for future research and clinical practice.

Chinese Registry of Clinical Trials: ChiCTR2200061374.