Isolated median sensory neuropathy after acupuncture

A 47-year-old left-handed man presented with pain and numbness in his left thumb and index finger after acupuncture treatment on an acupoint in his left wrist. A technique of herbal acupuncture, involving the use of a needle coated with apricot seed extract, was used. Median nerve conduction study showed an absence of sensory nerve action potential in the left index finger, whereas the results were normal in all other fingers. The radial and ulnar nerves in the left thumb and ring finger, respectively, showed no abnormality. Infrared thermography of the left index finger showed severe hypothermia. The patient was diagnosed as having an isolated injury to the sensory nerve fibers of the median nerve innervating the index finger. This is the first case report of complications from an herbal acupuncture treatment, and it highlights the possibility of focal peripheral nerve injury caused by acupuncture.