Select five acupoints on the right hind limb of the rat according to the principles of acupoint positioning. Before the Tuina manipulation, gently pull the rat tail to make it burrow into the bag and expose its hind limbs outside the bag. For Tuina manipulation, using one hand, place the rat in the prone position, holding its tail and hind leg, then place the performer's thumb on the selected acupuncture point to perform rhythmic press and kneading, driving the skin and subcutaneous tissue together in a circular motion ensuring consistent intensity and frequency of manipulation.
For the next mechanical withdrawal threshold, or MWT, stimulate the rat with electronic Von Frey fiber at the center of the foot and withdraw the fiber when the rat shows obvious movements, like leg grazing and avoidance. The machine automatically records the maximum pressure value in Newtons. After measurement, delete the values with large differences and take the average of the remaining three values as the MWT.
Next, for paw withdrawal latency, or PWL, focus the spotlight on the center of the rat's foot and press the start button. Monitor the rat for behaviors such as foot retraction or paw licking, and record the time before pressing the stop button. After measurement, delete the values with large differences and take the average of the remaining three values as the PWL.
For statistical analysis, open the analysis software. If the data conforms to a normal distribution, perform a T-test. Alternatively, analyze repeated measurement data by generalized estimating equations.
The MWT results showed that the MWT of the right hind limb after modeling was significantly lower than before. Compared with the control group, the MWT of rats was significantly elevated after Tuina. The PWL results showed that the PWL of the right hind limb after modeling was significantly shorter than before.
Compared with the control group, the MWT of rats was significantly prolonged after Tuina.
