- Department of Neurosurgery, Sina Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- Department of Anaesthesiology, Sina Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Correspondence Address:
Abbas Amirjamshidi
Department of Neurosurgery, Sina Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
DOI:10.4103/2152-7806.105098
Copyright: © 2012 Nouri M This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.How to cite this article: Nouri M, Karimi-Yarandi K, Etezadi F, Amirjamshidi A. Leech therapy for pain relief: Rational behind a notion. Surg Neurol Int 26-Dec-2012;3:159
How to cite this URL: Nouri M, Karimi-Yarandi K, Etezadi F, Amirjamshidi A. Leech therapy for pain relief: Rational behind a notion. Surg Neurol Int 26-Dec-2012;3:159. Available from: http://sni.wpengine.com/surgicalint_articles/leech-therapy-for-pain-relief-rational-behind-a-notion/
Dear Editor,
While practicing Neurosurgery in a society invaded by various cultures and neurosurgical philosophies, one should expect facing different traditional remedies in his/her daily practice. A 34-year-old woman with one-year history of left L5 radiculopathy was referred to our outpatient clinic. In physical examination, there were papules seen behind her lateral malleolus from which she was suffering the worst [
The medicinal leech is one of the few examples of the use of invertebrates in the treatment of human diseases. Leech therapy, mentioned as “Jalaukavacharan” in Ayurveda (Hirudotherapy), was used for medicinal “blood-letting” and “purification”, believed to cure a variety of ailments such as gout, skin diseases, blood disorders, alopecia, filariasis, headaches, etc., The use of leech therapy became less widespread toward the end of 19th century but now has emerged again as a widely useful therapy attracting the researchers all over the world. In Ayurveda, its easy applicability without producing any adverse effects is another reason why leech therapy has been used since ancient times.[
The exact mechanisms through which leech therapy may exert analgesic effect(s) are not well understood. Besides of a possible placebo effect, leech therapy may exert some direct anti-inflammatory and pain-killing effects through the components of the leech saliva. Platelet-derived growth factor (PGF) is assumed to play an important role in producing the signals of neuropathic pain in spinal cord and inhibition of its release by intrathecal injection of Hirudin has been reported to suppress thermal hyperalgesia and tactile allodynia in mice.[
Some recent randomized controlled trials have shown leech therapy to be effective in knee and metacarpal osteoarthritis.[
Considering far advanced methods of treatment available nowadays, this mode of therapy may look redundant. However, in medically high-risk/aged patients and those reluctant to undergo surgery, less aggressive treatments including leech therapy can be assumed as a temporary solution. Further studies to evaluate effectiveness of leech therapy in lumbago and sciatica are warranted.
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