The Effect of Combined Spinal Manipulation and Mobile Cupping Therapy on Cervical Radiculopathy and Its Impact on Cervical Spine Mobility

Zheng Xiaodan

doi:10.3969/j.issn.1004-5775.2025.22.008

Abstract：Objective:To investigate the efficacy of combined chiropractic manipulation and sliding cupping therapy for cervical radiculopathy and its impact on cervical range of motion.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 120 patients with cervical radiculopathy who received treatment at Zhengzhou Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine from January 2022 to October 2023.Based on different treatment protocols,the patients were divided into a control group and an observation group,each with 60 cases.The control group received chiropractic massage therapy,while the observation group received chiropractic massage combined with sliding cupping therapy.The TCM syndrome scores,pain levels,cervical function scores,cervical range of motion,se-rum inflammatory markers,and treatment efficacy were compared between the two groups.Results:After treatment,patients in the ob-servation group demonstrated a greater reduction in Traditional Chinese Medicine syndrome scores,a greater decrease in Visual Ana-log Scale(VAS)scores,and a greater increase in Japanese Or thopaedic Association(JOA)scores compared to the control group,with statistically significant differences(P＜0.05).Patients in the observation group demonstrated significantly greater cervical spine mobili-ty and lower serum inflammatory markers compared to the control group,with statistically significant differences in both cases(P＜0.05).The observation group also exhibited higher rates of both short-term and long-term treatment efficacy,along with a lower recur-rence rate than the control group,with statistically significant differences observed(P＜0.05).Conclusion:Combining chiropractic ma-nipulation with cupping therapy for cervical radiculopathy can alleviate associated symptoms and pain intensity,enhance cervical func-tion and range of motion,achieve favorable therapeutic outcomes,and reduce the risk of disease recurrence.