Effect of internal heat needling on early stage avascular necrosis of femoral head

  Objective  To observe the clinical effect of internal heat needling on early stage avascular necrosis of femoral head.

  Methods  From January 2017 to December 2018, patients with Ficat stageⅠ/Ⅱ avascular necrosis of femoral head (ANFH) were enrolled in the department of rehabilitation medicine of the First Medical Center, Chinese PLA General Hospital. The patients received internal heat needling in the buttocks and groin sites with the needle body heated to 43℃, once per site, every 5 days. VAS and Harris hip score (HHS) were evaluated before treatment, at 1 month and 12 months after treatment.

  Results  Totally 21 patients completed the regimen, with 15 males and 6 females aged 32.1 (range, 21-46) years. Eight cases were in Ficat stageⅠ, and 13 cin stageⅡ.The VAS scores at pre- treatment, 1 month and 12 months after treatment were 3.7±1.2, 1.9±1.5, 2.3±1.1, respectively; HHS total scores were 50.6±13.8, 73.7±8.6, 69.7±13.3, respectively. There were significant differences in VAS score and HHS total score between the pre- and post-treatment timepoints (all P＜0.01). Compared to pre-treatment, the scores of pain (19.05±8.3 vs 27.2±6.3), function (2.1±0.6 vs 3.0±1.1) and ROM (30.8±9.2 vs 32.9±7.0) in HSS at 12 months after treatment increased significantly (all P＜0.01), which were consistent with the trend in total score changes.

  Conclusion  Internal heat needling can improve the pain and the lower limb function of patients with early stage avascular necrosis of femoral head.