A multi center randomized controlled clinical trial of three-step acupuncture and cupping therapy for cervicogenic headache

Objective: To assess the clinical efficacy and safety of threestep acupuncture and cupping therapy for cervicogenic headache (CEH). Methods: A randomized, singleblind, multicenter, parallel controlled clinical trial was performed, including 63 patients with CEH who met the study criteria. They were randomly divided into treatment (n=32) and control groups (n=31). The treatment group was treated with threestep acupuncture and cupping therapy, and the control group was treated with sham acupuncture. The simplified McGill pain scores, comprising three parts:the pain rating index, visual analogue scale score, and present pain intensity, alongside head and neck stiffness and cervical vertebra range of motion, and a safety evaluation were recorded in the two groups before treatment, immediately after the first treatment, after 10 days of treatment, after 20 days of treatment, and 3 months after the end of treatment. Results: Compared with before treatment, the scores at each followup time point were significantly improved after treatment; moreover, the treatment group was significantly better than the control group. When the scores at the 3 months followup after the end of the treatment were compared with the scores after 20 days of treatment, there were no significant differences in the treatment group while significant differences from the scores of the control group, suggesting that the treatment group had better longterm benefits than the control group. Conclusion: Compared with the sham acupuncture group, the threestep acupuncture and cupping method has a beneficial effect in the treatment of CEH. It provides rapid benefits, has better shortand longterm efficacy than sham acupuncture, and is associated with a low recurrence rate.