Acupuncture and transcutaneous electric stimulation in the treatment of chronic sacrolumbalgia and ischialgia.

A comparison was made between 50 patients treated with acupuncture and 50 patients treated with transcutaneous electric stimulation. All patients suffered from chronic sacrolumbalgia or ischialgia of more than six months' duration. Two to 10 treatments were given at weekly sessions, the mean being 5 in both groups. Stimulation points were selected by the same principle in both groups: one point along the course of the nerve trunk affected, and one point at a dermatome proximal to the affected segment. The stimulation was given bilaterally. Needles were inserted as deep as the muscular layer and twirled at 5 min intervals. In the electric stimulation square-wave impulses of 1.0 msec duration and 50 Hz frequency were used. The electrodes were 0.9 cm in diameter. Each acupuncture and electric stimulation was of 20 min duration. Pain relief was complete or moderate in the acupuncture group in 58% of the cases, and in 46% in the electric stimulation group. After 2 months 30 patients in the acupuncture group and 23 patients in the electric stimulation group still reported satisfactory relief of pain. After 6 months 15 patients in the acupuncture group and 10 patients in the electric stimulation group still reported satisfactory relief of pain.