Effect of Wet Cupping Treatment on Pain Intensity of Patients with Low Back Pain Attending Integrative Medicine Research Clinic, Suez Canal University Hospital, Ismailia

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University Ismailia, Egypt

2 Department of Rheumatology, Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University Ismailia, Egypt

Abstract

Background: Persistent non-specific low back pain) PNSLBP) is a common complaint in patients seeking primary care services. Patients with chronic illnesses usually seek alternative therapies to relieve their pain and discomfort, and wet cupping therapy has been proven to effectively alleviate chronic pain. Objectives: This trial aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of wet cupping therapy in relieving the painof patients with persistent non-specific low back pain. Patients and Methods: This is a randomized control trial conducted at Suez Canal University Hospital. Sixty patients with PNSLBP were included in this trial: 30 in the interventional group and 30 in the conventional group. Patients in the interventional group received 3 sessions of wet cupping: one session every 2 weeks. Acetaminophen was the only pain reliever allowed for both groups. The Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) for pain assessment was used as the outcome measure. Results: By the 3rd session of wet cupping, patients in the interventional group had significantly lower NRS scores in terms of current, usual, and worst pain, compared to their scores at the baseline and to the scores of the conventional group (p < 0.05). Yet, there was no statistically significant difference in the best pain between the two groups throughout the three sessions. Moreover, patientsin the interventional group used acetaminophen in significantly shorter duration and lower dosage than those in the conventional group throughout the three sessions Conclusions: Wet cupping therapy was significantly more effective in relieving the pain of patients with PNSLBP, compared to acetaminophen alone.
 

Keywords

Main Subjects

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics