• Guang-Xia Shi, Qian-Qian Li, Cun-Zhi Liu, Jiang Zhu, Lin-Peng Wang, Jing Wang, Li-Li Han, Li-Ping Guan, and Meng-Meng Wu.
• Acupuncture and Moxibustion Department, Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, affiliated to Capital Medical University, 23 Meishuguanhou Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing 100010, China. lcz623780@126.com.
• Bmc Complem Altern M. 2014 Jan 1;14:69.

BackgroundDeqi is a central concept in traditional Chinese acupuncture. We performed a secondary analysis on data from a larger randomized controlled trial (RCT) in order to assess the effect of acupuncture on deqi traits and pain intensity in primary dysmenorrhea.MethodsA total of 60 primary dysmenorrhea patients were enrolled and randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups. Acupuncture was given at SP6, GB39 or nonacupoint. Subjective pain was measured by a 100-mm visual analogue scale (VAS) before and after acupuncture. The Massachusetts General Hospital acupuncture sensation scales (MASS) with minor modification was used to rate deqi sensations during acupuncture.ResultsThe results showed that VAS scores of pain after acupuncture were significantly decreased comparing to before acupuncture treatment in all three groups (P = 0.000). However, no significant differences were found among three groups at the beginning or end of acupuncture treatment (P = 0.928, P = 0.419).ConclusionsThere was no statistical difference among three groups in terms of intensity of deqi feeling. The types of sensation were similar across the groups with only minor differences among them.Trial RegistrationTrial Registration NumberControlled-Trials.com ISRCTN24863192.

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