Pain Archives - Page 3 of 9 - Acupuncture in Exeter

Acupuncture helps Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy

American researchers say acupuncture helps diabetic peripheral neuropathy, and is a valuable adjunctive treatment for low income and marginalised sections of society. In a 12 week randomised trial, 40 patients, mean age 59, were recruited from outpatient clinics at the Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center, an urban public hospital serving diverse patients (70% racial/ethnic minorities). In-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with a subset of 17 participants.

Patients randomised to receive acupuncture reported greater decreases in pain compared with usual care, and improvements in quality of life. There was also reduced reliance on analgesics, improved sleep and daily function, reduced stress, and improved engagement with their own self-care.

The authors say,”Overall, participants found acupuncture beneficial for a range of symptoms common with PDN, including burning or aching pain, sensations of heat or cold, or numbness. This diversity of presentations partially explains why conventional treatments such as pain medications have limited efficacy in treating this condition. Acupuncture may hold unique promise as a treatment for PDN because of its potential to address patients’ multifaceted pain experience, including physical symptoms as well as psychological well-being.”

(“It Gave Me Hope” Experiences of Diverse Safety Net Patients in a Group Acupuncture Intervention for Painful Diabetic Neuropathy. Health Equity, online 22 May 2020.)

Acupuncture helps Trigeminal Neuralgia

Acupuncture helps trigeminal neuralgia, and appears a more effective, safer and cheaper option compared with either drugs or surgery, according to research by the School of Medical Sciences, Bangor University. They surveyed 17 studies comparing the drug carbamazepine, with microvascular decompression surgery, and with acupuncture.

Acupuncture had the highest efficacy at 86%, compared with 79% for medication and 72% for surgery. It also had the lowest side-effect rate at 23%, compared with 25% for surgery and 89% for medication. The medication cost twice as much as acupuncture, and surgery cost more than six times as much. Patients also rated acupuncture the least stressful option.

(Acupuncture in the management of trigeminal neuralgia. Acupuncture in Medicine, 10 June 2020.)

Acupuncture helps Pain in US Urban Primary Care

A randomised trial in the US has shown that for both individual and group sessions given in primary care settings, acupuncture helps pain and improves physical function in patients with chronic musculoskeletal conditions. Researchers from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine enrolled 779 adults, mean age 55, attending six inner city primary care centres in the New York Bronx district for neck, back or osteoarthritis pain. Participants received weekly individualised acupuncture on either a group or one-to-one basis, for 12 weeks, in addition to usual care.

At the outset, 60% of participants reported poor to fair health, whilst 37% were unable to work due to disability. In the Bronx, nearly one third of the population lives below the poverty line.

After 12 weeks, 37% of patients in the individual treatment arm, and 30% of those in the group treatment arm, had a greater than 30% improvement in pain interference. Pain severity showed clinically meaningful improvements in over 30% of patients, and global physical health improved in approximately 60% of patients. Opiate use declined in the individual arm, but not in the group arm.

The research team concluded that their results demonstrate that individual and group acupuncture can be offered safely in the community health centre setting, that acceptability to patients and clinicians is very high, and that a substantial proportion of patients with chronic pain will have clinically significant improvement in both pain and overall physical health. Acupuncture therapy should be offered as part of pain care to underserved populations in the primary care setting.

(Individual vs. Group Delivery of Acupuncture Therapy for Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain in Urban Primary Care – a Randomized Trial. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 19 February 2020.)

Acupuncture for Musculoskeletal Pain

University researchers in Greece studying acupuncture for musculoskeletal pain of a chronic nature, have shown pain intensity, disability and salivary cortisol levels, can all be reduced. Thirty patients were randomly assigned to receive either physiotherapy, acupuncture, or sham ultrasound therapy for ten sessions.

Acupuncture was associated with greater decreases in pain intensity and disability than either physiotherapy or sham ultrasound. Significant decreases in salivary cortisol levels were observed in all three groups.

(The effect of treatment regimens on salivary cortisol levels in patients with chronic musculoskeletal disorders. Journal of Bodywork & Movement Therapies, January 2020.)

Electroacupuncture eases Pain after Kidney Stone Removal

Acupuncture in Exeter: electroacupuncture eases pain after kidney stone removal. American researchers have shown electroacupuncture significantly reduces pain after kidney stone removal by percutaneous nephrolithotomy. They randomised 51 patients to receive either electroacupuncture, sham electroacupuncture or no acupuncture. Flank and abdomen pain was lower at all time points in the electroacupuncture group compared with the other two groups. Immediate post-operative opioid use was also lower in the electroacupuncture group, with two patients not requiring any opioids.

The researchers say that electroacupuncture significantly reduces pain and opioid usage without any adverse effects, and this promising treatment warrants further investigation.

(A Randomized, Double-Blind, Sham-Controlled Study Assessing Electroacupuncture for the Management of Postoperative Pain after Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy. Journal of Endourology, March 2019.)