Warm Moxibustion and Scraping as a Traditional Chinese Medicine Therapy for Cervical Spondylosis Treatment

Summary

This article describes the clinical protocol for warm moxibustion and scraping therapy.

Abstract

Cervical spondylosis (CS) is characterized by abnormal sensations such as pain in the occiput, neck, and shoulder, which may be accompanied by pressure pain. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) offers unique therapeutic advantages in the management of CS. Warm moxibustion and scraping (WMAS), a TCM therapy, combines the thermal stimulation of moxibustion, the mechanical stimulation of scraping, and neck movement, utilizing specialized TCM instruments to alleviate the symptoms of cervical spondylosis. This study details the WMAS protocol, including: (1) pre-treatment evaluation using standardized diagnostic criteria, (2) application protocols employing specialized TCM instruments, (3) standardized therapeutic manipulation techniques, (4) post-interventional management strategies, and (5) contingency protocols for adverse event mitigation. Clinical evaluations using the Neck Disability Index (NDI), visual analog scale (VAS), and Northwick Park Neck Pain Questionnaire (NPQ) confirmed the therapeutic efficacy. These findings indicate that WMAS provides an effective, standardized intervention for CS with few adverse effects, meriting broader clinical application and mechanistic exploration in CS and other related diseases.

Introduction

Cervical spondylosis (CS) is a common degenerative disease characterized by neck pain and neck stiffness, which lead to functional limitations and even significant disability¹. The incidence of CS is closely related to age, the use of electronic products,
spinal trauma, and specific physical activities such as football and horse riding, which can accelerate early onset and disease progression^1,2. The lifetime prevalence is 48.5% in the adult population and 85% in those over 60 years of age^1,3. However, the i....

Protocol

All participants were recruited from the Preventive Treatment Center, Liaoning University of Traditional Chinese Medicine Second Affiliated Hospital. The protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee of Liaoning University of Traditional Chinese Medicine Second Affiliated Hospital (NO. 2023(XS)-013-01(CS)). Patients were required to provide informed consent before participating in this clinical trial. All operators were required to be qualified and professionally trained TCM practitioners, and no operator was changed during the trial unless necessary. The details of the reagents and equipment used in this study are listed in the Table of Materials.

Results

A total of 64 patients were recruited for this study: 32 in the treatment group (11 males and 21 females, mean age: 43.00 years ± 9.18 years, mean course of disease: 12.75 months ± 6.10 months), and 32 in the control group (2 dropped out due to voluntary withdrawal, 6 males and 24 females, mean age: 46.23 years ± 8.76 years, mean course of disease: 11.40 months ± 4.88 months). These data were not significantly different between the two groups and were comparable (P > 0.05) (Table 2).

Discussion

WMAS is a traditional Chinese therapy that combines thunder-fire moxibustion, scraping, and neck movements. It simultaneously offers the pharmacological effects and heat of fire moxibustion and the mechanical stimulation effects of scraping and massage techniques³¹. According to the theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the pathogenesis of cervical spondylosis (CS) involves cold and dampness blocking the meridians³². WMAS therapy has curative effects on both dredgin.......

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
Disposable medical gloves	Dalian Latex Co. LTD	230701MW2
Flurbiprofen cataplasms	Beijing Teide Pharmaceutical Co.	J20160090
Gauze	AuCom Medical Equipment Co.	A-1
Scissors	Deli Co.	TJ14
Scraping oil	Beijing National Medical Research Medical Equipment Co.	20200002
Thunder-fire moxa-stick	Tongren moxa company
Warm moxibustion and scraping cup	Zhuhaokang Co.	160934689562864