Collateral meridian acupressure therapy effectively relieves postregional anesthesia/analgesia backache

Epidural and spinal aesthesia may cause backache. In fact, the overall incidence of postneuraxial block backache is 9% to 50% and the incidence of back pain on the third postoperative day ranges from 5.91% to 22% after spinal anesthesia. Five patients suffering from postneuraxial block backache after regional anesthesia or analgesia are reported. Despite administering conventional treatment modalities including bed rest, cold/warm packing, physical therapy, and medications with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), strong analgesics, and opioids, the backache persisted and disturbed the patients' daily life. Surprisingly, utilization of a new acupressure technique, collateral meridian acupressure therapy (CMAT), relieved the backache dramatically.