EVALUATION OF OZONE THERAPY AT ACUPUNCTURE POINTS COMPARED WITH ELECTROACUPUNCTURE TREATMENT OF THORACOLUMBAR DISK DISEASE IN DOGS

Abstract

Medicinal ozone is obtained from pure medicinal oxigen, which is converted by a medical generator of ozone just before its use. The final product is a mixture of the two, oxigen-ozone (O2 - O3), and no more than 5% of ozone. Cervical or lumbar pain can be treated by ozone therapy via intradiscal, regional subcutanously, muscular, paravertebral supralaminar, rectal insuflation and by muscular or venous auto-hemotherapy. Thoracolumbar disk disease is a neurologycal condition due to protusion or extrusion of nucleous pulposus against the spinal cord, and can produce compressive mielopathy. Thus, the clinical signs can vary from hiperestesia to paraplegia associated or not with urinary or fecal disfunction. Treatment choices could be rest, antiinflamatory drugs, acupuncture and/or decompressive surgery. The aim of the treatment is releave and remission of symptons, and moreover avoid relapse of the disease. Electroacupuncture antecipates the motor and sensorial recovery. The use of O2 -O3 in spinal pain, by indirect aplication at paravertebral region is considered a type of pharmacopuncture, when applied at acupuncture points. This prospective study will evaluate two treatment groups in dogs presenting clinical signs of thoracolumbar disk disease: OZO (n=10) - submitted by ozone therapy applied at acupuncture points and EA (n=10) - submitted by electroacupuncture treatment. The aim of this study is analyse the effect of ozone therapy at acupuncture points compared with electroacupuncture for treatment of canine clinical signs of thoracolumbar disk disease. The ozone therapy applied at acupuncture points is expected to antecipate motor and sensorial recovery plus pain control as well as electroacupuncture treatment. (AU)