Niu Yunduo, Yu Huichuan, Geng Yongming (Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine)
Traumatic paraplegia is due to the sudden violence from outside on the spinal column, which causes a fracture on dislocation of the intervertebral discs and injures the spinal cord on the nerves of cauda equina. This results in damage to the sensory and motor-function of the extremities, to the function of urination and defecation.
Traditional Chinese medicine holds that the traumatic paraplegia is caused by injury of Du-Channel. The Du-Channel runs along the spine, and governs the vital energy of Yang of the whole body, and it is the channel where the three yang channels of hands and feet meet and cross.
After injury to the Du-Channel, the vital energy and blood do not circulate freely and stagnate in the channels, so that the tendons, bones and muscles are not nourished and all this will result in "Wei-symptom-complex".
Since March 1969 we have started systematic clinical observations of 500 patients with traumatic paraplegia. The age ranges from 7 to 63 years. The ratio of males to females was 6:3. 71.4% of them were workers and peasants.
The shortest duration of illness when the patients came to our clinic for treatment the first time was 15 days while the longest was 25 years. The patients with duration of illness of over two years were 44.2% of the total. Treatment for half year in taken as a course, all the cases were treated for 2-10 courses.
At present we have tried treatment of traumatic paraplegia with acupuncture and have used "Eleven acupuncture methods of treating paraplegia" as preliminary therapeutic rule. The following points were applied: thirteen points on the Du-channel, "Jiaji-points" (extra points), "back Shu-points" of the five visceral organs and diaphragm (No. 13, 15, 17, 20, 23, of the Urinary bladder channel of foot-Taiyang), "Eight Liao points" (No. 31, 32, 33, 34, of the Urinary bladder channel), the Stomach channel of foot-yangming, the Gall bladder channel of foot-Shaoyang, the 3 Yin channels of hands and feet, the twelve points of hands and feet (L. I.4, L.I.11, P.6, St. 36, GB. 34, Sp. 6 etc.).
We divided the curative effects of traumatic paraplegia into four groups:
1. Almost recovered: Patient can walk freely and have voluntary urination.
2. Distinct improvement: Patient can walk with the aid of crutches and has reflex urinary bladder function.
3. Some progress: Patient can exercise in walking with the help of different aids (e.g. boards, belts, knee calipers). The functions of urination and bowel movements are recovered to varying degrees.
4. No progress: Patient cannot move, no improvement in urination and defecation.
According to this standard, the statistical results of the 500 traumatic paraplegia cases are as follows:
The 76 cases which almost clinically recovered constitute 15.2%.
The 152 cases which made distinct progress constitute 30.4%.
The 189 cases which showed some progress constitute 37.8% and the 83 cases showing no progress at all constitute 16.6%.
In general effect is 83.4%. Some of the patients from the first group already had gone back to work.
Traumatic paraplegia is due to the sudden violence from outside on the spinal column, which causes a fracture on dislocation of the intervertebral discs and injures the spinal cord on the nerves of cauda equina. This results in damage to the sensory and motor-function of the extremities, to the function of urination and defecation.
Traditional Chinese medicine holds that the traumatic paraplegia is caused by injury of Du-Channel. The Du-Channel runs along the spine, and governs the vital energy of Yang of the whole body, and it is the channel where the three yang channels of hands and feet meet and cross.
After injury to the Du-Channel, the vital energy and blood do not circulate freely and stagnate in the channels, so that the tendons, bones and muscles are not nourished and all this will result in "Wei-symptom-complex".
Since March 1969 we have started systematic clinical observations of 500 patients with traumatic paraplegia. The age ranges from 7 to 63 years. The ratio of males to females was 6:3. 71.4% of them were workers and peasants.
The shortest duration of illness when the patients came to our clinic for treatment the first time was 15 days while the longest was 25 years. The patients with duration of illness of over two years were 44.2% of the total. Treatment for half year in taken as a course, all the cases were treated for 2-10 courses.
At present we have tried treatment of traumatic paraplegia with acupuncture and have used "Eleven acupuncture methods of treating paraplegia" as preliminary therapeutic rule. The following points were applied: thirteen points on the Du-channel, "Jiaji-points" (extra points), "back Shu-points" of the five visceral organs and diaphragm (No. 13, 15, 17, 20, 23, of the Urinary bladder channel of foot-Taiyang), "Eight Liao points" (No. 31, 32, 33, 34, of the Urinary bladder channel), the Stomach channel of foot-yangming, the Gall bladder channel of foot-Shaoyang, the 3 Yin channels of hands and feet, the twelve points of hands and feet (L. I.4, L.I.11, P.6, St. 36, GB. 34, Sp. 6 etc.).
We divided the curative effects of traumatic paraplegia into four groups:
1. Almost recovered: Patient can walk freely and have voluntary urination.
2. Distinct improvement: Patient can walk with the aid of crutches and has reflex urinary bladder function.
3. Some progress: Patient can exercise in walking with the help of different aids (e.g. boards, belts, knee calipers). The functions of urination and bowel movements are recovered to varying degrees.
4. No progress: Patient cannot move, no improvement in urination and defecation.
According to this standard, the statistical results of the 500 traumatic paraplegia cases are as follows:
The 76 cases which almost clinically recovered constitute 15.2%.
The 152 cases which made distinct progress constitute 30.4%.
The 189 cases which showed some progress constitute 37.8% and the 83 cases showing no progress at all constitute 16.6%.
In general effect is 83.4%. Some of the patients from the first group already had gone back to work.
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