Recent advances in acupuncture for pain relief

Acupuncture therapy has achieved global expansion and shown promise for health promotion and treatment of acute/chronic pain.

To present an update on the existing evidence base for research and clinical practice supporting acupuncture analgesia.

This Clinical Update elaborates on the 2023 International Association for the Study of Pain Global Year for Integrative Pain Care "Factsheet Acupuncture for Pain Relief" and reviews best evidence and practice.

Acupuncture is supported by a large research evidence base and growing utilization. Mechanisms of acupuncture analgesia include local physiological response at the needling site, suppression of nociceptive signaling at spinal and supraspinal levels, and peripheral/central release of endogenous opioids and other biochemical mediators. Acupuncture also produces pain relief by modulating specific brain networks, integral for sensory, affective, and cognitive processing, as demonstrated by neuroimaging research. Importantly, acupuncture does not just manage pain symptoms but may target the sources that drive pain, such as inflammation, partially by modulating autonomic pathways. Contextual factors are important for acupuncture analgesia, which is a complex multifaceted intervention. In clinical practice, historical records and many providers believe that acupuncture efficacy depends on specific acupoints used, the technique of needle placement and stimulation, and the person who delivers the procedure. Clinical research has supported the safety and effectiveness of acupuncture for various pain disorders, including acupuncture as a complementary/integrative therapy with other pain interventions.

Although the quality of supportive evidence is heterogeneous, acupuncture's potential cost-effectiveness and low risk profile under standardized techniques suggest consideration as a neuromodulatory and practical nonpharmacological pain therapy.