The Warm Silver-Needle Therapy Effects On Skeletal Muscle Tissue

I Background I The warm silver-needle therapy(WSNT) have been used to treat the patients with chronical soft tissue lesion(CSTL) for a long time. The rational basis for the use of this therapy in treating CSTL still rests on the clinical work and some studies. The published reports have been largely favorable. The conclusions drawn from past studies show that WSNT can relax the muscle spasms and improve the blood supply of soft tissue chronically lesioned. However, traditional moxibustion has been still used clinically and silver-needle temperature was always out of control in practice. To get further understanding of the mechanisms for silver-needle in treating CSTL, the present study is conducted to explore the optimal temperature during warming-up silver needles, the relationship between temperature and outcomes, and the changes of skeletal muscles that different temperature may result in. Methods and results The temperature of needles at the corresponding skin spots in 35 operations were recorded by digital thermometer. The needle temperature at corresponding skin spots gradually rose after warming-up and reached 41.5+7.3 C 4 minutes later. Then the temperature steadily remained highest temperature and began to decline in 14 minutes but stop at 37 C. The patients felt comfortable throughout the operations.The musculus gastrocnemius of 30 SD rats were acupuncturedalong muscle fibers by silver-needles (1.0mm in diameter and 4 cm in depth) ,warmed up by automatic temperature-control system. The automatic control temperature is 60 C,70 C,and 100 C respectively. The rats were sacrificed on 1st, 3rd, 7th,14th,21th,30th day after operation. Skeletal muscle specimens in each group were examined by histopathological (HE) and immunohistochemical methods ( a-Sarcomeric Actin and FVIII) . 1.In the 100 C -controlled and 70C-controlled group. In the early time, central coagulation necrosis of skeletal muscle fibers, degeneration and disappearance of skeletal muscle cells around necrotic area with infiltration of inflammatory cells were observed. Then myoblast proliferation, capillarization , and amalgamation of myoblast were seen. In the late phase, the gradual transformation of myotube to muscles became evident. 2.In the 60 C -controlled group. Central skeletal cell hydropic degereration ,and then myoblast proliferation around degenerate cell and reparation of degenerate cell were observed. On the 30th day, all tissues were repaired completely.Conclusions 1.The range of needle temperature at the skin spots should be controlled. Fifty degree centigrade was suggested . 2.The heat-induced injury of soft tissue can be repaired completely. Capillarization, amalgamation of myoblast and formation of myotube may play a great role in the process of reparation.