AUTHOR=Liu Yujia , Shang Jiayi , Zhang Yuxuan , Liu Li , Zhang Wenbing 

TITLE=A clinical study of ultrasound-guided acupotomy combined with mindfulness meditation to improve lumbar myofascial pain syndrome

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Neurology

VOLUME=Volume 16 - 2025

YEAR=2025

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neurology/articles/10.3389/fneur.2025.1627376

DOI=10.3389/fneur.2025.1627376

ISSN=1664-2295

ABSTRACT=ObjectiveTo evaluate the efficacy and safety of ultrasound-guided acupotomy combined with mindfulness meditation for the treatment of lumbar myofascial pain syndrome (MPS).MethodsThis blinded randomized controlled trial lasted for 3 weeks and included a 90-day follow-up. The participants were 120 patients with lumbar MPS. These patients were randomized into three groups: Group A (ultrasound-guided acupotomy combined with mindfulness meditation, n = 40), Group B (ultrasound-guided acupotomy, n = 40), and Group C (celecoxib, n = 40). Data were collected at baseline, week 1, week 2, week 3 (posttreatment) and day 90 (follow-up).ResultsGroup A was superior to Group B and significantly superior to Group C in terms of pain level (measured via the McGill Pain Questionnaire), lumbar spine mobility and mood disorders (measured via the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale), and quality of sleep (measured via the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index) (p < 0.05). Furthermore, the treatment efficacy was more durable in Group A (there was no significant rebound at 90 days of follow-up). The TNF-α and IL-1β serum levels were reduced in all three groups at week 3 but were more pronounced in the celecoxib group. Compared with ultrasound-guided acupotomy and celecoxib, ultrasound-guided acupotomy combined with mindfulness meditation can rapidly relieve pain, improve lumbar spine function, and permanently improve patients’ psychological state and sleep quality through the dual mechanism of “peripheral relaxation-central regulation.” This approach can treat the lumbar MPS from the root and provides new ideas for the clinical diagnosis and treatment of chronic pain.