Comparison of Efficacy Between Tendon Node Acupuncture and Conventional Massage in the Treatment of Cervical Spondylotic Radiculopathy: A Study of Multimodal MRI and Clinical Outcomes

Objective To compare the efficacy of tendon node acupuncture and conventional massage for cervical spondylotic radiculopathy (CSR) using multimodal MRI (diffusion tensor imaging (DTI)) and clinical scores, providing objective evidence for treatment selection. Methods Sixty CSR patients (July 2023–July 2024) were randomly divided into an experimental group (tendon node acupuncture, n = 30) and a control group (conventional massage, n = 30). Both groups received two courses of treatment (6 days/course, 1 day rest after each course). DTI parameters (fractional anisotropy, FA; axial diffusivity, AD; radial diffusivity, RD; and apparent diffusion coefficient, ADC), modified Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) score, and Neck Disability Index (NDI) were assessed pre- and posttreatment. Clinical efficacy was graded per Diagnostic and Therapeutic Criteria for TCM Syndromes, and the total effective rate was calculated. SPSS 22.0 was used for statistical analysis ( P < .05). Results Baseline indicators were comparable between groups ( P > .05). Posttreatment, both groups showed improved DTI parameters, JOA, and NDI scores ( P < .05), with significantly greater improvements in the experimental group ( P < .05). The experimental group had a higher total effective rate (96.67% vs. 83.33%, χ 2 = 3.914, P = .048) . Conclusion Tendon node acupuncture is superior to conventional massage in repairing spinal nerve fiber microstructure and improving clinical function in CSR. Multimodal MRI-DTI enables objective efficacy evaluation, supporting its clinical promotion.