The Effect of Wet Cupping Therapy on Patients' Symptom Level and Sleep Quality on Restless Leg Syndrome

INTRODUCTION: Restless leg syndrome (RLS) is a chronic disease that goes with abnormal sensations in the extremities. Usually, the symptoms become evident at night, which causes discomfort and a desire to move. Since the causes of RLS symptoms have not been clearly explained yet, treatment is aimed at alleviating the symptoms. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effectiveness of cupping therapy on RLS.
METHODS: Our study was carried out in Ankara City Hospital Neurology and Family Medicine Polyclinics between January 2019 and December 2019. The patients with the diagnosis of Restless Leg Syndrome were divided into two groups. The first group consisted of patients who currently received pramipexole therapy, and the second group consisted of patients who received no medical treatment. Both groups received 2 sessions of cupping therapy at the one-month interval. Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and Restless Leg Syndrome Severity Scale (RLSSS) were applied to the patients before and after wet cupping therapy, and the scores were compared between groups.
RESULTS: In the first group, a significant decrease was found in four RLSS subcategories (need to move, sleep disturbance, mean daily severity of complaints, and RLSSS total score) after wet cupping therapy. In the second group, there was a significant decrease in six categories (rate of RLS complaints, need to move, sleep disturbance, fatigue and sleepiness, frequency of RLS complaints, average daily severity of complaints) after the procedure. In the second group, sleep latency, daytime dysfunction and PSQI total score among the PSQI categories improved significantly (p = 0.041, p = 0.024, p = 0.025, respectively). It was found that the RLSS scores of the second group decreased more significantly after the procedure (p = 0.012).
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: It was concluded that wet cupping therapy was more effective in reducing symptoms in the group not receiving medical treatment. Wet cupping therapy can be recommended to reduce symptoms, especially to patients with RLS with mild complaints. With advanced scientific studies examining the effectiveness of cupping therapy, it is thought that the mechanism of action of this treatment will be clarified and it can be applied more effectively and safely.

Huzursuz Bacak Sendromunda Islak Kupa Yönteminin Hastalarýn Semptom Düzeyi ve Uyku Kalitesi Üzerine Etkisi

GÝRÝÞ ve AMAÇ: Huzursuz bacak sendromu (HBS), ekstremitelerde anormal duyularla giden, genellikle geceleri semptomlarýn belirginleþtiði, rahatsýzlýk veren, ekstremiteleri hareket ettirme isteði uyandýran kronik bir hastalýktýr. HBS semptomlarýnýn nedenleri henüz net olarak açýklanamadýðý için tedavi de semptomlarý hafifletmeye yönelik yapýlmaktadýr. Bu çalýþmada kupa terapinin HBS üzerine etkinliðini araþtýrmayý amaçladýk.
YÖNTEM ve GEREÇLER: Çalýþmamýz Ankara Þehir Hastanesi Nöroloji ve Aile Hekimliði Polikliniklerinde Ocak 2019 ve Aralýk 2019 tarihleri arasýnda yürütüldü. Huzursuz Bacak Sendromu tanýsý almýþ iki hasta grubu oluþturuldu. Birinci grup mevcut haliyle pramipeksol tedavisi alan hastalardan ikinci grup ise medikal tedavi almamýþ hastalardan oluþturuldu. Her iki gruba bir ay ara ile 2 seans kupa terapi yapýldý. Hastalara ýslak kupa terapi öncesi ve sonrasý Pittsburgh Uyku Kalite Ýndeksi (PUKÝ) ve Huzursuz Bacak Sendromu Þiddet Skalasý (HBSÞS) uygulanarak her iki grupta skorlar karþýlaþtýrýldý.
BULGULAR: Birinci grupta ýslak kupa terapi uygulamasýndan sonra dört HBSÞS alt kategorisinde (hareket etme ihtiyacý, uyku bozukluðu, þikayetlerin günlük ortalama þiddeti ve HBSÞS toplam puaný) belirgin düþme olduðu saptandý. Ýkinci grupta ise, iþlem sonrasýnda altý kategoride (HBS þikayetlerinin oraný, hareket etme ihtiyacý, uyku bozukluðu, yorgunluk ve uyku hali, HBS þikayetlerinin sýklýðý, þikayetlerin günlük ortalama þiddeti) anlamlý düþme oldu. Ýkinci grupta PUKÝ kategorilerinden uyku latansý, gündüz iþlev bozukluðu ve PUKÝ toplam puaný anlamlý oranda düzeldi (sýrasýyla p=0,041, p=0,024, p=0,025). Prosedür sonrasýnda ikinci grubun HBSÞS puanlarýnýn daha belirgin düþtüðü saptandý (p=0,012).
TARTIÞMA ve SONUÇ: Medikal tedavi almayan grupta ýslak kupa terapinin semptomlarý azaltmada daha etkin olduðu görüldü. Özellikle hafif þikayetleri olan HBS’li hastalara semptomlarý azaltmak amacýyla ýslak kupa terapisi önerilebilir. Kupa terapinin etkinliðini inceleyen ileri bilimsel çalýþmalarla, bu tedavinin etki mekanizmasýnýn netleþeceði ve daha etkin ve güvenli bir þekilde uygulanabileceði düþünülmektedir.