[Qihuang acupuncture therapy for mid-term postoperative pain after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair: a randomized...

To evaluate the clinical effect of qihuang acupuncture therapy on mid-term postoperative pain after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair (ARCR).

Ninety patients with mid-term postoperative pain after ARCR were randomized into a qihuang acupuncture therapy group (45 cases, 1 case dropped out, 2 cases eliminated) and a conventional treatment group (45 cases, 2 cases dropped out, 2 cases eliminated). The basic rehabilitation therapy was accepted in the two groups. Additionally, in the conventional treatment group, the routine treatment was administered. In the qihuang acupuncture therapy group, besides the regimen as the conventional treatment, the qihuang acupuncture therapy was operated for 3 sessions (once on day 1, 3, and 7, respectively), with Jianqian (Extra) and Jianliao (TE14) selected in the 1st session of treatment, Jianyu (LI15) and Jianliao (TE14) in the 2nd session and Jianqian (Extra) and Jianliao (TE14) in the 3rd session. The duration of treatment was composed of 7 days. Separately, before and after treatment, and in 4-week follow-up after treatment, the score of visual analogue scale (VAS) for shoulder pain (activity pain and nocturnal pain), the range of motion (ROM) of the shoulder (forward flexion, abduction, extension-internal rotation, and lateral rotation), the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) shoulder score, and the Constant-Murley (CM) shoulder function score were compared in the two groups. The clinical effect and safety were evaluated in the two groups.

After treatment and in follow-up, the VAS scores of activity pain and nocturnal pain were reduced and each ROM of the shoulder was increased when compared with those before treatment in the two groups (P<0.05). After treatment, the VAS scores of activity pain and nocturnal pain in the qihuang acupuncture therapy group were lower than those in the conventional treatment group (P<0.05), and the ROM of active and passive forward flexion and abduction was higher when compared with the conventional treatment group (P<0.05). In follow-up, the VAS score of activity pain in the qihuang acupuncture therapy group was lower than that in the conventional treatment group (P<0.05), and each ROM of the shoulder was greater (P<0.05). After treatment and in follow-up, the UCLA shoulder score and CM shoulder function score were increased in comparison with those before treatment in the two groups (P<0.05), and the scores in the qihuang acupuncture therapy group were higher than those in the conventional treatment group (P<0.05). After treatment, the total effective rate in the qihuang acupuncture therapy group was 95.2% (40/42) , which was higher when compared with the conventional treatment group (75.6%, 31/41, P<0.05). In follow-up, the recovery rate in the qihuang acupuncture therapy group was 42.9% (18/42), higher than that in the conventional treatment group (19.5%, 8/41, P<0.05). No serious adverse events were reported in either group during the trial.

Based on the conventional treatment, the qihuang acupuncture therapy effectively alleviates the mid-term postoperative pain after ARCR and accelerates the recovery of shoulder joint function. It shows the specific advantages in alleviating activity pain and improving ROM of forward flexion and abduction; and the therapeutic effect is sustainable up to 4 weeks after treatment completion.