The opposite needling has been applied quite a lot in acupuncture therapy with considerable therapeutic effects.
Acupuncture methods,in which acupoints contralateral to the affected side are used,includes the opposite needling.
Opposing needling is an acupuncture method that involves selecting meridian acupoints cotralateral to the affected side.
Connection of bilateral nerve fivers in spine, bilateral and nonspecific projection in reticular formation of brainstem and propagation of stimulation signal toward the contralateral cerebral cortex etc. may be anatomical and physiological basis on which acupuncture stimulation on one side can influence to the opposite side.
Acupuncture department, Pyongyang Medical College
The model of compressive ischiatic nerve disorder was induced by the method in which thiophental sodium (5mg/100g) was injected into abdominal cavity of rabbit for anesthesia, then skin and muscles were incised along the distribution of the sciatic nerve, sciatic nerve was compressed for 5 min with detrusor at the superior 1/3 part of the thigh after its exposure, finally the layers of muscle and skin were sutured separately.
Study subjects were divided into opposite needling group and ipsilateral needling group.
In Opposite needling group acupuncture was applied at the points contralateral to the affected side once every day from after the day when the compressive ischiatic nerve disorder model was induced. After the rabbit was fixed in prone position, we cut the hairs at the corresponding acupoints, disinfected them with 70 % alcohol, inserted filiform needles with the body diameter of 0.2 mm and the body length of 20~22 mm and retained for 20 min.
In ipsilateral needling group the same points located on the affected leg were needled with retaining for 10 min.
As a result the opposing needling remarkably improved general symptoms such as body mass, dyskinesia, dysesthesia and circumference of m.gastrocnemius,evoked electromyograph indices including excitation threshould, latency, maxium wave voltage, wave amplitude and change of wave amplitude by rhythmic stimulation, axonal flow, ratio of normal nerve fiver, and histopathological findings of peripheral nerve fivers.
Our research work to introduce the experimental result into the clinical practice is now on the progress.
