Observation Of Needling Sensation In The Acupuncture Treatment Of 62 Cases With Disease Of Nervous System

Wang Zhiyu (Shanghai Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine)

The patients with normal consciousness were chosen and acupuncture sensation described by themselves. The degree of needling sensation refered to its variance between the affected and unaffected areas after relief from their fears in an initial treatment, all the patients presented were repeatedly treated by acupuncture for more than 5 times and similar results were obtained.

1. In 8 cases of peripheral neural diseases, including 6 cases of polyneuritis, 1 case of brachial plexus damage, the degree of needling sensation was associated with that of various sensory disturbances of them, pain and thermal sensation was the main factor. In the patients without that sensation, there was no needling sensation, whereas in those with obvious disturbance in tactile sensation, the needling sensation still existed, though slow and weak, when the points in the involved area were acupunctured.


2. In 34 cases with spinal diseases, including 4 cases of nonsuppurative myelitis, 1 case of suppurative myelitis, 4 cases of spinal tumour, 1 case of tabes, 1 case of hereditary ataxia, 3 cases of syringomyelia and 20 cases of infantile paralysis no needling sensation was felt when acupuncture was given in varied sensation-lost areas. Needling sensation was also hypersensitive when acupuncture was used in the hypersensitive areas. Acupuncture in the regions with disturbance in the deep sensation, tactile sensation and movement brought about normal needling sensation. In syringomyelia which only had disturbance of pain and thermal sensation, the degree of needling sensation was just the same as the degree of pain and thermal sensory disturbance.


3. In 14 cases of cerebral diseases, including 10 cases of cerebrovascular accidents, 1 case of hepatolenticular degeneration, 2 cases of parkinsonism, and 1 case of cerebellar atrophy, who did not have sensitive obstacle, could be gained normal needling sensation. Although the patients with damage in the pathway between thalamus and cerebral cortex had needling sensation in the sensory disturbance areas, they were unable to report the correct sites of that sensation due to its diffusible quality.


4. 2 cases of hysteria, who completely lost varied sensation, still felt weak needling sensation in the sensation-lost areas.

5. In 2 cases of hemianhydrosis and 2 cases of progressive muscular dystrophy, normal needling sensation was obtained in these diseased areas.

Thus it can be considered that needling sensation is dependent on function of the conductible system of pain and thermal sensation in the nervous system as well as in the cerebral cortex directly.