Objective： To observe the clinical efficacy of Shanghai-style tuina method based on syndrome differentiation in treating infantile diarrhea. Methods： Sixty patients were randomly divided into an observation group and a control group, 30 cases in each group. The patients in the observation group were treated by Shanghai-style tuina method based on syndrome differentiation, while the patients in the control group were treated by conventional Shanghai-style tuina method, once per day, continuous 5 d for a treatment course. The efficacy was evaluated according to the score of the quantization table for symptoms differentiation in infantile diarrhea after one course. Results： During the treatment, two cases in the control group dropped out. After treatment, the scores were significantly decreased in both groups and the intra-group differences were statistically significant （both P〈0.01）, indicating the two treatment methods were effective with infantile diarrhea. In the efficacies of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndrome, the cured and markedly effective rate in the observation group was significantly higher than that in the control group （P〈0.05）, suggesting that Shanghai-style tuina method based on syndrome differentiation was more effective than conventional Shanghai-style tuina method. Conclusion： Conventional Shanghai-style tuina method is characterized by fixed acupoints, remembering easily and operating conveniently. It has a significant effect in treating children with diarrhea, and is worthy of clinical promotion and popularization. However, Shanghai-style tuina method based on syndromes differentiation requires the solid theoretical foundation and rich clinical experience of TCM. And because Shanghai-style tuina method based on syndromes differentiation is applied under the guidance of syndrome differentiation and TCM theory, it can improve the clinical efficacy.
