Table 1.
Effect of acupuncture on the repair of peripheral nerve injury.
| Study | Model | Acupoints | Acupuncture type/parameter | Major effects |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hoang et al. (2012) | Sciatic nerve crush | GB30, GB34 | EA/0.8–1 mA, 2 Hz, 15 min | motor recovery↑, target re-innervation pain↓ |
| Ho et al. (2013) | Transected Median Nerve | PC7, PC3 | EA/1 mA, 2 Hz, 15 min | Electrophysiological Measurements (Latency, amplitude, MAPs, NCV)↑, Morphologically (axon number, endoneurial area, total nerve area, blood vessel number)↑, Functionally (Grasping Test)↑ |
| Cheng et al. (2001) | Rat sciatic nerve | GB30, GB34 | EA/0.8-1 mA, 2 Hz, 15 min | axon density↑, blood vessel area↑, percentage of blood vessel area↑ |
| Li H. et al. (2021) | Upper limb peripheral nerve injury | C6-T1 Jiaji points | EA/once a day, 30 min | Barthel index↑, Fugl-Meyer assessment score↑, motor nerve conduction velocity↑, sensory nerve conduction velocity and amplitude↑, SF-36↑ |
| Napadow et al. (2007a,b) | CTS | Common:TW-5, PC-7 matching aupoint: HT-3, PC-3, SI-4, LI-5, LI-10, LU-5 | EA/2 Hz, 10 min | BCTSQ ↑, nerve sensory latencies ↑, grip strength↑, fMRI: inducing beneficial cortical plasticity manifested ↑ |
| Inoue et al. (2011) | Peripheral nerve damage | Anode electrode–proximal to the injured part, cathode electrode–innervated muscle | DCEA/100 Hz, 20 min | functional↑: neurapraxia 2, axonotmesis 3; No functional: axonotmesis 1, neuromesis 1 |
| Ho et al. (2014) | CTS | PC7, PC6 | EA/0.8 mA, 2 Hz, 15 min | Elec-Acu group: short clinical questionnaire by Lo and Chiang↑; Acu group: grip strength↑, distal median motor amplitude of the palm-wrist segment↑, Tinel’s sign↓; No changes: two-point discrimination |
| Yang et al. (2011) | CTS | PC-7, PC-6 | MA/30 min | modified GSS↑, DML↑, CMAP↑, MNCV↑, DSL↑, SNAP↑, W-P SNCV↑ |
| Fan and Wu (2015) | Acute lumbar muscle sprain | Bilateral SI-3, Jiaji (EX-B2), Ashi points | EA/10-25 Hz, 20 min | FDVs of the bilateral lumbar muscle↑, temperature index of the lumbar skin↑ |
MAPs, muscle action potentials; NCV, nerve conduction velocity; CTS, carpal tunnel syndrome; BCTSQ, Boston Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Questionnaire; GSS, Global symptom score; DML, distal motor latency; CMAP, compound muscle action potential; MNCV, motor nerve conduction velocity; DSL, distal sensory latency; SNAP, sensory nerve action potential; W-P SNCV, wrist-palm sensory nerve conduction velocity; FDV, force-displacement value.