Table 1.

The Initial Expert Consensus Voting Lists

No	Statements
1	For the mild, moderate and severe sciatica caused by lumbar disc herniation, acupuncture is recommended to improve the clinical symptoms (lumbocrural pain, limb numbness, activity disorder, sensory abnormality, muscle strength reduction, etc.)
2	For the mild, moderate and severe sciatica caused by lumbar disc herniation, acupuncture is recommended to improve the quality of life and mental state.
3	The treatment of sciatica for acupuncture, it is suggested to meridians differentiation from the bladder meridian of zu tai yang and gallbladder meridian of zu shao yang.
4	The treatment of sciatica for acupuncture should be based on syndrome differentiation: syndrome of cold-dampness blocking collaterals, syndrome of qi stagnation and blood stasis and syndrome of deficiency of liver and kidney.
5	It is suggested to pay attention to the application of points along meridians. The suggested acupoints are yao jia ji (EX-B2), wei zhong (BL40), huan tiao (GB30), Yanglingquan (GB34), Zhi bian (BL54), Cheng shan (BL57).
6	It is suggested to pay attention to the application of Ashi point. The suggested number of Ashi is 2–3.
7	The recommended reinforcing and reducing manipulations of acupuncture therapy is: even reinforcing-reducing method.
8	The number of acupuncture points is recommended to select 6–9 acupoints.
9	The acupuncture stimulation is recommended to last for 30min.
10	The frequency of acupuncture is recommended to last for 3 sessions per week.
11	The period of acupuncture treatment is recommended to last for 4 weeks.
12	The selection of acupoint is an important factor affecting the therapeutic effect of acupuncture.
13	The depth of acupuncture is an important factor affecting the therapeutic effect of acupuncture.
14	De Qi is an important factor affecting the therapeutic effect of acupuncture.
15	It is recommended to combine other traditional Chinese medicine therapy to improve the clinical effect, such as moxibustion, bleeding therapy, etc.
16	It is recommended that doctors should have the qualification certificate of Chinese medicine practitioners and have more than 3 years of experience.
17	For the treatment of sciatica, the acupuncture has less adverse reactions. Possible adverse reactions include: subcutaneous hematoma, abnormal feeling after acupuncture (such as pain, numbness, etc.), stagnation of acupuncture, bleeding, etc.