Warm Acupuncture Combined with Cervical and Lumbar Chiropractic Manipulation on Pain Severity, Lumbar Function, and Serum IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α Levels in Patients with LDH

Objective This study aimed to explore the influences of warm acupuncture in combination with cervical and lumbar chiropractic manipulation on serum inflammatory factors, lumbar function, and pain severity in patients with lumbar disc herniation (LDH). Methods We selected and divided 108 LDH patients who were admitted to our hospital from October 2023 to October 2025 randomly by applying the random number table method into a control group ( n = 54, receiving cervical and lumbar chiropractic manipulation) and a combined group ( n = 54, receiving warm acupuncture in addition to the control treatment). Both groups received continuous treatment for 30 days. Between the two groups, we compared the clinical efficacy after treatment, lumbar function [Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) score, Oswestry Disability Index (Oswestry) score, and Fairbank JC score], and inflammatory factors [interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α] before and after treatment. Results After treating for 30 days, in the combined group, the total effective rate was 96.30%, which is higher than that of 83.33% of the control group ( P < 0.05). After treatment, compared with those in the control group, the Oswestry score, Fairbank JC score, and IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α levels were lower in the combined group ( P < 0.05), while the JOA score was higher ( P < 0.05). Conclusion Warm acupuncture combined with cervical and lumbar chiropractic manipulation can reduce inflammatory factor attacks, improve lumbar function in LDH patients, and relieve lumbar muscle fatigue and has certain clinical value.