Acupuncture effectively reduces acute post-op pain
November 14th, 2007 - 2:23 am ICT by adminCurrently up to 80 percent of patients experience pain after surgery, with about 86 percent of these patients reporting moderate, severe or extreme discomfort.
The researchers reviewed 15 research studies pertaining to the effectiveness of acupuncture and related techniques to relieve postoperative pain when used in conjunction with pain medication.
The data analysis of some 1,166 patients revealed a significant decrease in pain among the patients receiving acupuncture. In addition, the acupuncture patients required less morphine and other opioid pain medication, and thus reported fewer medication-related side effects, including nausea, dizziness and drowsiness.
“While the amount of opioids needed for patients who received acupuncture was much lower than those who did not have acupuncture, the most important outcome for the patient is the reduction of the side effects associated with opioids,” said lead author Tong Joo (T.J.) Gan, M.D.
“These side effects can negatively impact a patient’s recovery from surgery and lengthen the time spent in the hospital,” he added.
Gan further said that his team’s findings add to the growing body of evidence that acupuncture can play an effective role in improving the quality of the surgical experience.
“Acupuncture is slowly becoming more accepted by American physicians, but it is still underutilized. Studies like this, which show that there is a benefit to using it, should help give physicians sitting on the fence the data they need to integrate acupuncture into their routine care of surgery patients,” he said.
Acupuncture has the added benefits of being inexpensive, with virtually no side effects, when done by properly trained personnel, he added. (ANI)
- Pain-killing drug more potent, longer lasting than morphine: Study - Jan 05, 2011
- New finding to make morphine a safer, more effective drug - Mar 25, 2011
- Discovery could boost morphine's effectiveness - Apr 08, 2012
- Breakthrough to help block morphine addiction - Aug 16, 2012
- Local anesthetic derived from algae 'effectively blocks pain in surgical patients' - Feb 24, 2011
- Prescriptions for painkillers stepping stone for drug addiction - Aug 21, 2010
- Acupuncture really does change brain's perception of pain - Dec 01, 2010
- How Chinese acupuncture affects brain's ability to regulate pain - Aug 11, 2009
- Mood, anxiety disorders patients likely to abuse painkillers - Dec 14, 2011
- Health experts give thumbs up to non-drug techniques for pain relief - Mar 06, 2010
- Acupuncture affects brain's ability to regulate pain - Aug 12, 2009
- Morphine may block tumour growth - Jul 29, 2010
- Opioids now most prescribed class of medications in US - Apr 06, 2011
- Weight loss surgery can help alleviate migraines - Mar 29, 2011
- How infant pain has repercussions in adulthood - Sep 26, 2009
Tags: acupuncture, added benefits, american physicians, body of evidence, duke university medical, duke university medical center, experience pain, extreme discomfort, opioid pain medication, opioids, painkillers, post op pain, postoperative pain, routine care, sitting on the fence, surgery patients, surgical experience