Abstract:Objective:To observe the clinical effect of Chinese herbal ointment-rubbing combined with ultrashort wave for lumbago with cold- damp syndrome. Methods: A total of 138 cases of patients with lumbago with cold- damp syndrome were randomly divided into the combined treatment group , the ointment- rubbing group,and the shortwave group,with 46 cases in each group. The ointment- rubbing group was simply treated with Chinese herbal ointment-rubbing therapy;the shortwave group was simply treated with ultrashort wave therapy; the combined treatment group was treated with Chinese herbal ointment- rubbing combined with ultrashort wave, with 10 days being a course of treatment. After two courses of treatment, the curative effects were evaluated. The scores of Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA), and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) in the three groups were observed and compared before and after treatment. The SF- 36 questionnaire was used to follow up with the patients after treatment; the abnormal responses to treatment were monitored; the overall clinical effect was analyzed. Results: After treatment, the scores of VAS and ODI in the combined treatment group were significantly decreased when compared with those in the ointment- rubbing group and the shortwave group,differences being significant (P<0.05). JOA score in the combined treatment group was significantly increased when compared with those in the ointment- rubbing group and the shortwave group,differences being significant (P<0.05). One month follow-up after treatment,the SF-36 score in the combined treatment group was significantly higher than that in the ointment-rubbing group and that in the shortwave group,differences being significant (P<0.05). The total effective rate of clinical effect was 91.3% in the combined treatment group, 71.7% in the ointment- rubbing group, and 69.6% in the shortwave group. There were significant differences being found in the comparison of the total effective rates of clinical effect among the three groups (P<0.05), and total effective rate of clinical effect in the combined treatment group was higher than that in the ointment- rubbing group and that in the shortwave group. There was no significant difference being found in the comparison of adverse reactions in complexion,diet,mind,degree of skin lesions,and number of skin lesions among the three groups (P> 0.05). There were significant differences being found in the comparison of skin irritation and skin pigmentation among the three groups (P<0.05);the two indexes in the shortwave group were better than those in the ointment- rubbing group and the combined treatment group, and the two indexes in the ointmentrubbing group were better than those in the combined treatment group. Conclusion: Chinese herbal ointment- rubbing combined with ultrashort wave has a significant curative effect in the treatment of lumbago with cold- damp syndrome, which can effectively improve life function of patients, and relieve pain.