Category: Pain

Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, have shed some light on possible mechanisms behind acupuncture’s ability to alleviate chronic pain. They believe it might re-normalise connectivity between key brain regions involved in pain perception.

The team randomly allocated 44 patients with osteoarthritis of the knee, into one of three groups: high dose acupuncture; low dose acupuncture (fewer needles); sham acupuncture. Each patient received six sessions over a one month period, and to monitor brain activity, three of these sessions were conducted with the patient lying in an fMRI scanner. The scans showed repeated acupuncture sessions changed the connectivity between key brain regions associated with pain learning, memory and chronification, resulting ultimately in the reinstatement of healthy communication between body and brain. Sham acupuncture failed to achieve this effect. The researchers conclude that these results have implications for the assessment of the efficacy of acupuncture treatment with regard to reversal of chronic pain disorders.

(Repeated verum but not placebo acupuncture normalizes connectivity in brain regions dysregulated in chronic pain. NeuroImage: Clinical, September 2015.)

A study undertaken at two emergency dental clinics in São Paulo, Brazil has shown acupuncture to be a useful method of pain control for patients with acute dental pain. A sample of 120 patients, aged between 18 and 90, awaiting emergency treatment, received one acupuncture session. Pain was reduced in all patients, going down from a mean 6.56 to 0.96 on a visual analogue scale.

(Acupuncture in the management of acute dental pain. Journal of Acupuncture & Meridian Studies, April 2014.)

A feasibility study undertaken at the Northern Hospital Emergency Department, Melbourne, Australia, shows that acupuncture can provide patients with effective relief from pain and nausea. The study drew on data from 400 people visiting the department with these symptoms. The acupuncture group comprised 200 patients who received usual care plus acupuncture. For comparison, retrospective data was gathered on 200 closely matched patients who had received usual care alone.

A satisfaction score of 10/10 was given by 57% of patients receiving acupuncture; 52% responded “definitely yes” for their willingness to use it again, and a further 32% said “probably yes”. Adverse events were rare and mild. Pain scores reduced from a mean 7.0 before acupuncture, to 4.7 afterwards. Nausea scores dropped from 2.6 to 1.4. Musculoskeletal conditions were most commonly treated, followed by abdominal or flank pain.

The researchers conclude acupuncture in the emergency department appears safe and acceptable for patients with pain and/or nausea and that combined care may provide effective pain and nausea relief. Further studies evaluating the cost-effectiveness and efficacy of the add-on effect of acupuncture are recommended.

(Acupuncture and standard emergency department care for pain and/or nausea and its impact on emergency care delivery: a feasibility study. Acupuncture in Medicine, 7 March 2014, epub ahead of print.)

A small UK pilot study suggests acupuncture may hold promise as a treatment for the pain of multiple sclerosis (MS). Twenty MS patients attending a nurse-led complementary therapy clinic, were invited to evaluate the service using a questionnaire: there were 25 questions concerning pain relief, sleep pattern, mood improvement, energy levels, mobility issues, and analgesic medication use. All patients had received acupuncture to help with pain relief, and all had attended the clinic for between three and twenty-four months. Most patients received acupuncture at six-weekly intervals, 85% were female, and their ages ranged from 20 to 60. They had had their diagnosis for between one and 29 years.

All patients reported some pain reduction, nine reporting pain relief of 8/10 or better. Eighteen of the twenty patients obtained pain relief for four or more weeks, although nine noted a temporary pain increase first. Three patients managed to stop using pain-killing medication altogether. Sleep patterns, mood, energy levels and mobility were also reported as improving. The authors conclude that this study demonstrates clear benefit from acupuncture as a treatment for pain in MS patients.

(Acupuncture is an effective treatment for pain and other MS symptoms. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry, 2013.)

Researchers in the US have found that weekly acupuncture is associated with improvements in pain and quality of life, when included in the usual care of chronic pain patients in urban health centres. In a trial, 226 patients selected from four health centres in the Bronx, New York, began receiving acupuncture. Osteoarthritis, back and neck pain were usually the reason for referral to the trial. Patients were frequently older (mean age 54), receiving disability payments, in poor or fair overall health, and with high baseline pain levels.

Following a mean of 9.7 acupuncture treatments on a weekly basis, there was a significant improvement in pain severity and physical wellbeing at 12 and 24 weeks, compared to baseline levels.

(Outcomes of acupuncture for chronic pain in urban primary care. Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, Nov-Dec 2013.)