Objective: We conducted a pilot open-label study of acupuncture treatments as add-on therapy to botulinum toxin injection sessions (three months apart) in five subjects with chronic idiopathic cervical dystonia (CD) to determine the feasibility, safety, and efficacy of adjuvant acupuncture.

Background: There are no curative treatments for CD, therefore conventional management is aimed at pain relief and muscle relaxation.  Many patients with CD use complementary and integrative (CIM) interventions to manage symptoms, yet there is limited data on the use of acupuncture for CD.

Method: Six one-hour acupuncture sessions took place every other week over the three-month period between consecutive botulinum toxin sessions.

Results: Five subjects completed the study with only one acupuncture session missed by one subject, thereby meeting our pre-determined adherence goal.  All participants reported improvement from acupuncture.  Only minor adverse events were reported, with self-resolved discomfort in one subject, and self-resolved minor bruising in two subjects.  Data from exploratory efficacy endpoints including visual analog scale (VAS) for pain, a Clinician Global Impression of change (CGI), the Toronto Western Spasmodic Torticollis Rating Scale (TWSTRS), and the Short Form (36) Health Survey (SF-36) are presented.

Conclusion: Acupuncture is feasible and safe as an adjunct treatment for chronic CD, and may be associated with subjective symptomatic benefits.  This work is now published: Bega D, et al. Acupuncture as Adjuvant Therapy for the Management of Cervical Dystonia. Medical Acupuncture. 2018; 30(4):198-203. PMID: 30147821.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/acupuncture-as-adjuvant-therapy-for-the-management-of-cervical-dystonia/