Acupuncture Treatment in Pediatric Patients With Tic Disorders: A Prospective, Single-Center, Randomized Controlled Trial

A Randomized Controlled Trial on the Treatment of Chronic Tic Disorder With Nourishing the Vital Energy and Regulating the Spirit Needle Technique

This study was conducted to observe the efficacy of Nourishing the vital energy and Regulating the spirit needle technique in the treatment of chronic tic disorder through the Yale Global Tic Severity Scale (YGTSS) and the Chinese Medicine Symptom Rating Scale in order to provide a new, safe and feasible treatment option and idea for the treatment of chronic Tic Disorder.

In this study, 76 children who met the diagnostic criteria for chronic tic disorder were collected and randomly divided into the therapy group(n-38)and control group(n=38) according to a random number table. The patients were treated 3 times a week for 7 weeks, a total of 20 times. YGTSS scores and the Chinese Medicine Symptom Rating Scale were performed before and after 2 courses of treatment, and clinical efficacy and adverse events were observed in both groups, and YGTSS scores were recorded at follow-up 4 week safter the end of treatment and 12 weeks after the end of treatment, respectively. All data were statistically processed and analysed using SPSS 25.0 software, and relevant differences were compared after processing and analysis.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patients diagnosed with tic disorders per the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, version 5 (DSM-5) criteria Presence of either motor tics or vocal tics with symptoms present for at least 3 months Aged 5-18 years (all genders) No tic-related medications or therapies for 8 weeks before treatment Willing to complete 8-week acupuncture treatment

Exclusion Criteria:

• Secondary tics from structural neurological lesions (e.g., epilepsy), pharmacologically induced tics, or neurodevelopmental comorbidities Severe communication barriers or cognitive impairments affecting trial participation Severe organ dysfunction meeting clinical diagnostic thresholds Concurrent participation in interventional clinical trials History of acupuncture-related syncope or presyncope episodes Absolute contraindications to acupuncture (e.g., severe needle phobia, skin infections at acupoints)