Pressure on acupoints decreases postoperative pain

Area of Science:

• Pain Management
• Acupuncture Research
• Postoperative Care

Background:

• Postoperative pain is a common complication following surgical procedures.
• Effective pain management strategies are crucial for patient recovery and well-being.
• Investigating non-pharmacological interventions like acupoint pressure offers potential for enhanced pain relief.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the analgesic efficacy of acupoint pressure in patients experiencing postoperative pain.
• To compare the effects of active acupoint stimulation versus placebo stimulation on pain perception.
• To assess the impact of acupoint pressure on physiological variables related to pain.

Main Methods:

• A controlled, single-blind study involving 40 patients undergoing knee arthroscopy.
• Randomization into two groups: active stimulation (AS) of 15 classical acupoints and placebo stimulation (PS) of 15 nonacupoints.
• Pain assessment using a 100-mm visual analog scale (VAS) at multiple time points, alongside monitoring of autonomic variables and skin blood flow.

Main Results:

• Significantly lower VAS pain scores were observed in the active stimulation group at 60 minutes (p < 0.05) and 24 hours (p < 0.0001) post-stimulation compared to the placebo group.
• No significant differences were found in heart rate, systolic arterial pressure, or skin temperature between the groups.
• Skin blood flow measurements did not show significant changes related to the stimulation type.

Conclusions:

• Pressure applied to classical acupoints demonstrates a significant analgesic effect in reducing postoperative pain.
• Acupoint pressure can be considered a viable non-pharmacological adjunct for managing pain after knee arthroscopy.
• The findings suggest that the benefits of acupoint pressure on pain are not mediated by changes in autonomic nervous system activity.