Background: Sciatica is primarily caused by herniated discs with nerve-root compression. Acupuncture may effectively relieve the pain of discogenic sciatica, but the evidence is limited.~Methods/Design: Sixty patients with discogenic sciatica will be recruited and randomized to receive acupuncture or sham-acupuncture at a 1:1 ratio. Patients in both groups will receive treatment 3 times per week for 4 weeks. The following acupoints will be used: Dachang shu (BL 25), Shenshu (BL 23), Weizhong (BL 40), and Chengshan (BL 57).
This trial is designed to evaluate the efficacy of acupuncture on pain relief for patients with discogenic sciatica compared with sham acupuncture.