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Acupuncture and chronic pain management.

T L Lee1

  • 1Department of Anaesthesia, National University Hospital, Singapore. analeetl@nus.edu.sg

Annals of the Academy of Medicine, Singapore
|April 5, 2000
PubMed
Summary

Acupuncture shows potential for chronic pain relief, with evidence suggesting opioid release mechanisms. However, more high-quality studies are needed due to methodological limitations in current research.

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Reply.

Canadian journal of anaesthesia = Journal canadien d'anesthesie·2016

Area of Science:

  • Integrative Medicine
  • Pain Management
  • Evidence-Based Practice

Background:

  • Acupuncture is widely used for pain, but scientific evidence for its efficacy is limited.
  • Previous randomized controlled trials faced challenges in blinding acupuncturists and selecting appropriate control points.
  • Methodological issues in controlled acupuncture evaluations require discussion.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the effectiveness of acupuncture for chronic pain treatment.
  • To discuss key methodological challenges in the controlled evaluation of acupuncture.

Main Methods:

  • Systematic review based on previous reviews, meta-analyses, and consensus conferences.
  • Searches conducted in MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library.
  • Inclusion of randomized trials of acupuncture for chronic pain published in English.

Main Results:

  • Basic science suggests acupuncture-induced opioid release contributes to pain relief, particularly in acute pain.
  • Evidence supports acupuncture's effectiveness for conditions like postoperative dental pain, menstrual cramps, tennis elbow, low back pain, and fibromyalgia.
  • Equivocal results exist due to study design, sample size, and difficulties in using appropriate controls (placebo/sham acupuncture).

Conclusions:

  • Most existing studies have poor methodological quality, necessitating further high-quality randomized controlled trials.
  • Future research should prioritize larger sample sizes and valid acupuncture treatments.
  • Long-term follow-up in future studies is crucial for comprehensive evaluation.

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