Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research

Original Research Article | OPEN ACCESS

Efficacy of combined application of traditional Chinese medicine foot bath and mild moxibustion in the treatment of limb pain in diabetic peripheral neuropathy patients

Jiawei Wang¹, Yuanyuan Mao², Chunyan Jiang³, Mengqi He⁴, Qingying Tan¹, Wei Zheng⁵

¹Department of Endocrinology, The 903rd Hospital of PLA, No. 14 Lingyin Road, Xihu District, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310013, China; ²Department of Nursing, The 903rd Hospital of PLA, No. 14 Lingyin Road, Xihu District, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310013, China; ³Department of Army Patient Administration, The 903rd Hospital of PLA, No. 14 Lingyin Road, Xihu District, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310013, China; ⁴Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, The 903rd Hospital of PLA, No. 14 Lingyin Road, Xihu District, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310013, China; ⁵Department of Geriatrics, The 903rd Hospital of PLA, No. 14 Lingyin Road, Xihu District, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310013, China.

For correspondence:- Wei Zheng Email: zhengwei90313@163.com Tel:+8657187348724

Accepted: 22 December 2022 Published: 31 January 2023

Citation: Wang J, Mao Y, Jiang C, He M, Tan Q, Zheng W. Efficacy of combined application of traditional Chinese medicine foot bath and mild moxibustion in the treatment of limb pain in diabetic peripheral neuropathy patients. Trop J Pharm Res 2023; 22(1):175-181 doi: 10.4314/tjpr.v22i1.24

© 2023 The authors.
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Abstract

Purpose: To determine the efficacy of the combination of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) foot bath and mild moxibustion in the treatment of limb pain in patients with diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN).

Methods: A total of 120 patients with symptoms of DPN-induced pain who were hospitalized at the Department of Endocrinology in the 903rd Hospital of PLA, from January 2020 to June 2021, were included in this study. They were randomly assigned to a study group and a control group, with 60 patients in each group. Patients in both groups received conventional treatments and nursing care, while those in study group were additionally treated with a combination of TCM foot bath and mild moxibustion. Treatment efficacy in the patients was evaluated using Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ), pain rating index (PRI), visual analogue scale (VAS), TCM symptom score (TCMSS), and Toronto Clinical Scoring System (TCSS).

Results: Compared with control group, there were significant improvements in pain-related scores, namely, SF-MPQ, (p Ë‚ 0.05); PRI, (p < 0.01); VAS, (p < 0.05); as well as overall efficacy (p < 0.05). Similar improvements were also observed with regard to TCMSS (p < 0.001) and TCSS (p < 0.001) in the study group. However, there were no significant changes in Adjusted Diabetes Quality of Life (A-DQOL) score and blood glucose control in both groups.

Conclusion: Relative to the conventional treatment for DPN, limb pain and disease score of patients are significantly reduced by the combination of TCM foot bath and mild moxibustion treatments. Further clinical trials would be required prior to application in clinical practice.

Keywords: Traditional Chinese medicine foot bath, Mild moxibustion, Diabetic peripheral neuropathy, Limb pain, Efficacy