[Feasibility study on needle insertion with comfortable fine elongated-needles]

To meet the comfort requirements of contemporary acupuncture clinical practice, this study customized 8 specifications of fine elongated-needles, i.e. 0.16 mm×100 mm, 0.18 mm×100 mm, 0.20 mm×100 mm, 0.25 mm×100 mm, 0.16 mm×125 mm, 0.18 mm×125 mm, 0.20 mm×125 mm and 0.25 mm×125 mm. Taking the penetrating needling of bilateral Jianyu (LI15)-to-Binao (LI14) and Jianliao (TE14)-to-Binao (LI14) as examples, the practical feasibility of needle insertion was observed. The results showed that when using either the needle-holding insertion with both hands or the sectional tube-guided insertion, all specifications of fine elongated-needles could meet the clinical needling requirements, and all subjects experienced the deqi sensation characterized by soreness, numbness, heaviness and distension. The insertion depth of fine elongated-needles increased with the needle length. Compared with the needle-holding insertion with both hands, the sectional tube-guided insertion method was more capable of painless operation during skin penetration. This study provides a preliminary exploration of the clinical feasibility of needle insertion with the novel comfort fine elongated-needles, summarizes their operational characteristics and limitations, and may offer directions for further clinical validation.