Acupuncture, Opioids, and Post-Operative Pain

/ Dahms Acupuncture/

What is post-operative pain?

Post-operative (or post-surgery) pain is pain that is continually felt after a surgery.

What are the symptoms?

  • burning pain

  • shooting pain

  • numbness

  • sensitivity to touch or temperature

How can acupuncture help?

It is well known that acupuncture influences the release of endogenous opioids (made inside the body). These pain modulating molecules not only influence our perception of pain but also reduce the reliance on pharmaceutical pain management.

Reducing Opioid Use

"As part of a comprehensive approach to treatment of individuals diagnosed with OUD (opioid use disorder) as well as to pain management, acupuncture has demonstrated some potential as a safe, effective and non-pharmacological component of care. Acupuncture has been incorporated into pain management services by many health care organizations, hospitals and the Veterans Health Administration (VA)."(1)

RESEARCH: The Efficacy of Acupuncture in Post-Operative Pain Management: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

"This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the effectiveness of acupuncture and acupuncture-related techniques in treating postoperative pain.”

“Randomized controlled trials of adult subjects (≥ 18 years) who had undergone surgery and who had received acupuncture, electroacupuncture, or acupoint electrical stimulation for managing acute post-operative pain were included."

Results: "We found that patients treated with acupuncture or related techniques had less pain and used less opioid analgesics on Day 1 after surgery compared with those treated with control."

Conclusions: "Our findings indicate that certain modes of acupuncture improved postoperative pain on the first day after surgery and reduced opioid use. Our findings support the use of acupuncture as adjuvant therapy in treating postoperative pain." (2)

Sources:

(1) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8392795/ (2)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4784927/#:~:text=Our%20findings%20indicate%20that%20certain,therapy%20in%20treating%20postoperative%20pain.