Preliminary Study on Acupuncture Combined with Grain-sized Moxibustion for Treating Rheumatoid Arthritis with Finger Joint Pain

I mainly research acupuncture combined with grain-sized moxibustion for treating rheumatoid arthritis with finger joint P.The treatment is safe, effective, and worse promoting. Different types of biologists are emerging, which let only improve clinical effect, but also improve the prognosis of patients with rheumatoid arthritis. These techniques have the advantage of easy operation, accurate localization, low price and good pain relieving effect.

So patients are more likely to accept and cooperate with them. To begin, divide subjects into observation and control groups and hide the allocations in sealed, opaque, sequentially numbered envelopes. Number the envelopes from one to 20, and assign them to screened rheumatoid arthritis, or RA patients, in order of treatment.

Administer conventional drug treatment to both the control and observation groups. Perform acupuncture on the observation group. Before acupuncture, first wash hands with soapy water, dry thoroughly and disinfect hands using 75%ethanol hand sanitizer.

Then wear a surgical mask and cap. Conduct a thorough assessment of the patient's condition by measuring blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, and oxygen saturation. Examine the patient's skin for injuries, infections, or other conditions.

Position the patient in a seated position to fully expose the acupuncture points. Instruct the patient to notify the practitioner if they experience discomfort. Select the BAXI acupuncture points.

After verifying the acu points, use an IOTA four swab to disinfect the site in a spiral motion from the center outward. Hold the needle handle between the thumb and index finger while supporting the lower part of the needle with the middle finger. Apply downward force while flexing the middle finger.

Insert the needle at a 45 degree angle to the skin and penetrate the BAXI point to a depth of approximately 12 millimeters. Rotate the needle handle back and forth 180 degrees or less at a frequency of 60 times per minute until the patient experiences Deqi. To assess objective criteria, check for skin redness and slight needle stagnation where the skin around the needle tightens and may rise slightly.

After retaining the needle for 30 minutes, press the skin around the needle hole with a sterile dry cotton ball while slowly withdrawing the needle. Disinfect the needle holes with IOTA four swabs. For grain-sized moxibustion, first select finger joint pain points or ashy points at the metacarpophalangeal joints, thumb interphalangeal joints, and proximal interphalangeal joints for moxibustion.

Roll moxi into small conical moxi cones the size of wheat grains. Then apply a small amount of petroleum jelly to the moxibustion site with a dry cotton swab. Use tweezers to hold the middle of the moxi cone and place it onto the joint.

Light an incense stick with a lighter and use it to ignite the top of the moxi cone. Wait for the moxi cone to burn down one fifth to two fifths of its original size. When the patient reports an unbearable burning sensation, quickly remove the remaining moxi cone with tweezers and extinguish it in a tray filled with water.

Repeat the moxibustion process until each affected finger joint has been treated five times. Both control and observation groups showed a significant reduction in tender joints duration of morning stiffness post-treatment. The treatment also reduced pain levels, erythrocyte sedimentation, and C-reactive protein levels in both groups.