Department of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
Department of Neurology, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA.
Acupunct Med. 2020 Aug;38(4):272-278. doi: 10.1177/0964528419899660. Epub 2020 Feb 6.
Whiplash-associated disorder (WAD) is a common musculoskeletal condition that frequently occurs following a road traffic collision. Physiotherapy is often prescribed to help with the symptoms and injuries. Research evidence has demonstrated that acupuncture may be beneficial, but no studies have examined the routine clinical use of acupuncture by physiotherapists for treatment of WAD. Therefore, a physiotherapy service evaluation was conducted to examine the effects of acupuncture on WAD following a road traffic collision.
This study involved 87 patients who attended a private physiotherapy practice following a road traffic collision after referral by their solicitor as part of a personal injury claim. Patients were included if they had been diagnosed with WAD (grades I-III) and received acupuncture as part of their treatment. An average of three sessions of acupuncture were received, which primarily involved needling of traditional acupuncture points and/or myofascial trigger points of the neck and upper/lower back.
Pain significantly reduced ( < 0.001). Musculoskeletal outcome measures including neck disability index, Oswestry low back pain scale and Quick disabilities of the arm, shoulder and hand (Quick-DASH) scale also significantly improved (all < 0.001). Adverse events were minor. The majority of the patients (n = 66) were able to return to full-work duties following treatment.
Acupuncture appears to be an effective clinical treatment for WAD following a road traffic collision and should be considered by physiotherapists working with such patient groups.
挥鞭伤相关疾病（WAD）是一种常见的肌肉骨骼疾病，常发生于道路交通事故之后。通常会开理疗来帮助缓解症状和损伤。研究证据表明针灸可能有益，但尚无研究检查理疗师常规临床应用针灸治疗 WAD。因此，进行了一项理疗服务评估，以检查针灸对道路交通事故后 WAD 的影响。
本研究涉及 87 名在道路交通事故后因人身伤害索赔而被律师转介至私人理疗诊所就诊的患者。如果患者被诊断为 WAD（I-III 级）并接受针灸治疗，则将其纳入研究。患者平均接受 3 次针灸治疗，主要包括针刺传统穴位和/或颈部和上下背部的肌筋膜触发点。
疼痛明显减轻（<0.001）。包括颈部残疾指数、Oswestry 下腰痛量表和快速上肢、肩部和手部残疾量表（Quick-DASH）在内的肌肉骨骼结果测量也显著改善（均<0.001）。不良事件轻微。大多数患者（n=66）在治疗后能够恢复全职工作。
针灸似乎是道路交通事故后 WAD 的一种有效临床治疗方法，应被从事此类患者群体治疗的理疗师考虑。
