A Comparative Study On The Clinical Efficacy Of Exercise Therapy And Acupuncture In Patients With Sarcopenia

Objective To compare the therapeutic effects of exercise therapy and acupuncture in patients with sarcopenia,and to study the effects of the two therapies on muscle function and exercise ability of patients with sarcopenia,so as to provide evidence-based medical basis for the treatment of sarcopenia in the field of rehabilitation.Methods A total of 81 patients who met the diagnosis,inclusion and exclusion criteria in Zhejiang Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine from January 2021 to May 2022 were randomly divided into three groups,with 27 cases in each group and 3 cases dropped off.The included cases were the control group(27 cases),the exercise group(26 cases)and the acupuncture group(25 cases).The control group received no intervention.The exercise group received aerobic training,resistance exercise and core stability exercise,5 times a week;The acupuncture and moxibustion group received EA treatment.Quchi,Shusanli,Bi Guan,Futu,Liangqiu,Zusanli,Shangjuxu,Xijuxu and Jiexi were selected and treated with EA respectively at Futu+Liangqiu,Zusanli+Shangjuxu and Xijuxu+Jiexi with continuous wave(5 Hz)for 30min/time,5 times/week.All three groups were treated for 4 weeks.The data of grip strength,SPPB score and Berg score in the first,second and fourth weeks of the three groups were recorded,and the SPSS25.0 statistical software was used for statistical analysis.Results 1.Grip strength:Repeated measurement ANOVA was performed on the grip strength values of the three groups,and the data met the results of Mauchly’s sphericity test(P<0.001).Multivariate test was performed,and the analysis results showed that there was no significant difference in the grip strength values of different groups of patients at different time points(P>0.05).2.SPPB score:The SPPB values of the three groups were analyzed by repeated measures ANOVA,and the data met the results of Mauchly’s sphericity test(P<0.001).Multivariate test showed that there were significant interaction effects between time points and treatment methods(F interaction=16.120,P interaction<0.001).The difference trend of SPPB values at time points varied with different treatment methods.The simple effect between time points and treatment methods was continued to be investigated.According to the simple effect analysis of the three groups at different time points,there was no significant difference in SPPB value from W0 to W4 in the control group(P>0.05).There were significant differences in SPPB values from W0 to W4 in the exercise group(P<0.001).The SPPB values in the acupuncture group were significantly different at W2 and W4(P<0.05).According to the simple effect analysis of different treatment methods in the three groups,there were differences in W1,W2 and W4 between the control group and the exercise group(P<0.05).There were differences in W1,W4 between the control group and the acupuncture group(P<0.05).There was a difference in W4 between the exercise group and the acupuncture group(P<0.05).3.Berg score:The Berg scores of the three groups were analyzed by repeated measures ANOVA,and the data met the results of Mauchly’s sphericity test(P<0.001).Multivariate test showed that there were significant interaction effects between time points and treatment methods(F interaction=22.059,P interaction<0.001).This means that the difference trend of Berg score at time points will be different due to different treatment methods.The simple effect between time points and treatment methods will be further investigated.According to the simple effect analysis of the three groups at different time points,there was no significant difference in the Berg score from W0 to W4 in the control group(P>0.05).There were significant differences in Berg scores from W0 to W4 in the exercise group(P<0.001).The Berg scores of the acupuncture group were significantly different at W2 and W4(P<0.05).According to the simple effect analysis of different treatment methods in the three groups,the Berg scores in W1,W2 and W4 were different between the control group and the exercise group(P<0.05).There was a difference in W4 between the control group and the acupuncture group(P<0.05).Conclusion 1.Without intervention,there was no significant difference in muscle strength,muscle function and balance function in sarcopenia patients within 4 weeks.2.There was no significant difference in grip strength improvement in sarcopenia patients with short-term treatment.3.Both exercise and acupuncture can improve the muscle function and balance function of patients,and the effect of exercise intervention is significantly better than acupuncture.