Clinical Efficacy and Mechanism Exploration of Fire Needle Therapy Combined with Chinese Herbal Medicine Foot Bath for Refractory Plantar Warts

顽固性跖疣因人乳头瘤病毒(Human Papillomavirus, HPV)持续感染及足底角质增厚，常规治疗复发率高。本研究通过1例典型病例探讨火针联合中药足浴的协同作用机制。患者男性，27岁，病程6年，经液氮冷冻、激光等多次治疗无效后，采用火针联合中药足浴治疗。结果显示，4次治疗后疣体完全消退，随访半年无复发。火针通过高温灭活病毒、促进HPV感染细胞凋亡，并释放抗原激活局部免疫；中药足浴经透皮吸收增强抗病毒、调节免疫及改善微循环。二者协同形成“快速清创–持续透药–免疫激活”模式，结合温热效应扩张毛细血管、提升药物渗透效率。本研究为顽固性跖疣提供了一种中西医结合、操作简便且经济安全的治疗方案，尤其适用于基层医疗推广。Refractory plantar warts, characterized by persistent human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and plantar hyperkeratosis, demonstrate high recurrence rates with conventional treatments. This study investigates the synergistic mechanisms of fire needle therapy combined with Chinese herbal foot bath through a representative case analysis. A 27-year-old male patient with a 6-year disease history, having failed multiple treatments including liquid nitrogen cryotherapy, laser therapy and so on, received fire needle therapy combined with Chinese herbal foot bath treatment. The results demonstrated complete resolution of the warts after 4 treatment sessions, with no recurrence observed during the 6-month follow-up period. The study demonstrates that fire needle therapy achieves viral inactivation through high-temperature exposure, induces apoptosis of HPV-infected cells, and releases antigens to activate local immune responses, while the Chinese herbal foot bath enhances antiviral effects and immune regulation through transdermal absorption, concurrently improving microcirculation. The combined therapeutic modality establishes a synergistic “rapid debridement-sustained drug permeation-immune activation” mechanism, with thermal effects promoting capillary dilation and optimizing drug permeability efficiency. This study proposes an integrated Chinese-Western medicine protocol for refractory plantar warts, characterized by straightforward operation, cost-effectiveness, and safety, demonstrating particular suitability for implementation in primary healthcare settings.