A randomized double arm comparative clinical study to evaluate the efficacy of matra basti by fixed dose and ascending dose patterns with mulakadi taila in the management of gridhrasi vis a vis sciatica

Panchakarma forms the basis of purificatory therapy in ayurveda  it plays a crucial role in restoring the bio purificatory functions of the body  movements signifies vitality but in conditions like  gridhrasi this is impaired making daily activities difficult gridhrasi comes under nanamataja vata vyadhi the cardinal signs and symptoms of gridhrasi are sthamba ruk toda  muhuspandana in the sphik kati uru janu jangha and pada  in order along with sakthikshepanigraha that is restriction in upward lifting of lower limb in gridhrasi tandra gaurava and aruchi may be present if kapha is associated with vata sciatica resembles the disease gridharsi in ayurveda It causes excruciating pain which radiates through the pathway of sciatic nerve here piercing type of pain is present which restricts the movement of affected leg the gait resembles the bird vulture

About 80 to 90 percent of people get affected by low back pain in general an estimated 5 to 10 percent of patients with low back pain have sciatica whereas the lifetime prevalence of low back pain ranges from 49 to 70 percent the annual prevalence of disc related sciatica in the general population is estimated at 2point 2 percent the management provided by the contemporary medicine for this condition is either conservative or surgical in nature and have certain limitation including dependency and side effects such as dizziness stomach upset  rashes or serious skin reaction nephrotoxicity and diarrhoea  such limitations in contemporary science provide evident scope for research work in ayurveda in this condition

In ayurveda  basti is one among panchakarma procedure and it is the best treatment for vata vyadhi as quoted by maharshi charaka that basti vataharanam shrestam acharya charaka consider basti as ardhachikitsa It is claimed as the main radical aspect of chikitsa seeking the absolute cure of disease by eliminating its root cause

Matra basti is the hriswa matra of sneha basti  it can be given at any time and does not cause any complication even though the person follows his or her desired ahara and vihara

Mulakadi taila is a formulation mentioned in gadanigraha is indicated in the management of gridhrasi  it is vatashamaka

Acharya gayadasa while commenting on sushruta samhitha has mentioned one and half pala as dose of matra basti of 72ml  this is considered as fixed dose in clinical practice

Acharya adamalla while commenting on sarangadhara samhitha has described an ascending dose pattern of sneha matra in the form of matra basti his may help in better retention and absorption of basti and thus may produce a better effect hence a comparative study will be under taken to evaluate the efficacy of fixed dose and ascending dose patterns of matra basti with mulakadi taila in the management of gridhrasi to ascertain the effect of either of the treatment modalities

No previous research work was done on above mentioned modalities so here an effort will be made to compare the efficacy of matra basti in fixed dose and ascending dose in gridhrasi with mulakadi taila