Zhen Ci Yan Jiu. 1990 ; 15(3): 197-202.

[Therapeutic effects of electroacupuncture (EA) on acute experimental arthritis in rats]

Zhao F, Zhu L, Li Y.

Institute of Acupuncture, China Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Beijing.

The dynamic changes of the pain thresholds (Heat-Withdrawal Latency, HWL and Stimulation-Vocalization Threshold, Voc) in the adjuvant-induced arthritic rats and the effects of EA on the pain thresholds, skin temperature and the circumference of the diseased ankle were observed. Both pain thresholds were obviously decreased in affected limbs in EA and control groups. But in the normal limbs, HWL decreased and Voc, no changed. In EA group, the ankle circumference and skin temperature were markedly lower than that in control group. The increase of the body weight was much more obvious than that in control group. Our experiment revealed that EA could not only increase the pain threshold, but also improve the pathological changes in the inflammation of the ankle, the mechanisms of the changes of the pain thresholds and the effects of EA in the arthritic rats were discussed.