Acupuncture has shown potential in enhancing structural nerve regeneration in Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy, leading to subjective improvements and positive neurological findings.
This research was conducted at the HanseMerkur Center for TCM at the University Medical Center, Hamburg-Eppendorf. Sixty patients who had been diagnosed with Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy underwent acupuncture treatment. Patients were selected based on physical examinations, subjective and quantitative evaluations conducted using nerve conduction studies. They were then randomly divided into two groups. The first group received a ten-week acupuncture treatment while the latter was put on a waiting list. After fourteen weeks, evaluations were carried out on both groups. The second group then received the acupuncture treatment while group one was put on the waiting list. Both groups were subjected to another evaluation after 28 weeks.
The results showed noticeable improvements in sural sensory nerve amplitude and sural nerve conduction velocity among patients who received acupuncture treatment. This can be seen in the subjective improvements reported by the patients in the form of reduced burning pain, cramps, numbness, frequency of symptoms and improved gait. Significantly positive findings from the physical examination, including blind walking, heel-to-toe walking, and distal pallhypesthesia further bolster the potential benefits of acupuncture treatment in managing Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy.
