Clinical Observation on Four-Finger Pushing Manipulation Combined With Acupuncture in the Treatment of Cervical Vertigo

Objective This article aims to observe the short-term clinical efficacy of four-finger pushing manipulation combined with acupuncture in the treatment of cervical vertigo (CV). Methods Sixty patients with CV were randomly allocated to a treatment group (four-finger pushing manipulation + acupuncture) or a control group (acupuncture only), 30 cases each. Randomization and blinding are detailed in Section 1.1. Both groups were treated every other day for three sessions within 1 week. Short-term outcomes were assessed using the Evaluation Scale for Cervical Vertigo (ESCV), clinical efficacy classification, and transcranial Doppler (TCD) measurement of vertebral and basilar artery blood flow velocity (cm/s). Results ESCV scores improved in both groups, with greater improvement in the treatment group ( P < 0.05). The total effective rate was 96.7% in the treatment group versus 73.3% in the control group (two-sided Fisher exact test, P = 0.026). TCD showed no significant change in vertebral or basilar artery blood flow velocity within or between groups (all P > 0.05). Conclusion Four-finger pushing manipulation combined with acupuncture provided short-term symptomatic and functional improvement in CV. The clinical improvement was not accompanied by detectable short-term changes in vertebrobasilar blood flow velocity. The underlying mechanism remains uncertain and requires direct evaluation using sensorimotor and proprioceptive measures. These findings require confirmation in larger, rigorously designed randomized trials.