Post-operative pain is one of the most common causes for concern when undergoing surgery. In fact, according to the US Institute of Medicine, 80% of patients who have surgery report post-op pain. Further, 88% of those patients report not only post-op pain, but moderate or severe pain levels. Obviously, acupuncture treatment is known for being beneficial for various types of pain management, and post-op pain is no exception. After all, the ultimate goal of post-op pain management is to not only relieve pain, but to keep the side effects to a minimum. That being said, acupuncture treatment seems like the obvious conjunctive treatment choice for post-op pain.
Post-Operative Pain
Surgery, understandably, puts an excess amount of strain on the body, and contrary to popular belief, the site of surgery is often not the area of pain.
Potential Pain Post-Op:
- Movement Pain – movement is important after surgery to jumpstart healing and also to even be discharged. Movements like walking, coughing, and sitting up are vital but can potentially cause heightened pain around or at the incision site.
- Muscle Pain – this can be caused not only by the surgery itself, but also from lying on the operating table for potentially hours. Pain is normally felt in the back, chest, shoulders, and neck.
- Throat Pain– many times caused by anesthesia, the patient’s throat may feel scratchy or sore.
- Nausea/Vomiting/Stomach pain – this is also caused most often by the after effects of anesthesia.
All of this being said, none of the pain experienced should be severe or continue past a certain point, and should the pain be severe, the patient needs to contact their doctor.
In a normal course of events, pain control is mitigated with opioids in varying degrees depending on the severity of the pain after surgery. The other issue patients deal with after surgery is mental clarity which can be fuzzy after coming out of anesthesia. Fortunately, acupuncture treatment can not only help with post-op pain, but also with the mental fogginess.
Acupuncture for Post-Op Pain
The best part about acupuncture for post-op pain is the pain management and little to no side effects, but also it can be utilized before, during, and after surgery. Acupuncture works on post-op pain and symptoms because it triggers endorphin release which changes the way the brain interprets pain and enhancing the patient’s mood. Additionally, acupuncture aids in decreasing inflammation by increasing circulation to the surgery site, and clearing cytokines, allowing for a speedier recovery.
Acupuncture Works for Post-op Pain by:
- Decreasing inflammation – while mild inflammation is needed for healing, the inflammation becoming chronic can be damaging.
- Increasing endorphins – change the way the body interprets pain.
- Decreasing the need for opioids – it’s no secret that the US is still in the midst of an opioid crisis. In addition to having negative side effects, opioids are also extremely addictive. This dander can cause further issues down the road.
- Increasing blood circulation – this helps to reduce swelling.
- Decrease scarring – although scarring is not avoidable when it comes to surgery, the increase in blood flow with acupuncture breaks up scar tissue.
- Providing benefits outside of the surgical site treatment – acupuncture helps with the mental clarity, nausea/vomiting, and sleep issues that can also be caused by surgery.
Acupuncture points for post-op pain:
- PC6 (both sides) – beneficial for pre and post-op nausea & vomiting as well as post op pain
- Yintang – pre-op anxiety
- HE7 (both sides) – pre-op anxiety or nervousness
- LI4 – post-op pain & fever
- ST36 – post-op pain and energizing for recovery
- LV3 – post-op pain & sleep issues
- Shenmen, stomach, & lung auricular points – post-op pain point group treatment option
- PC6, GB21, LU1, LI11, LI4, TE3, TE5 – post-op pain point group treatment option
There have been multiple studies over the years showing the benefits of acupuncture treatment for post-op pain and other symptoms relating to the aftermath of surgery.
The Efficacy of Acupuncture in Post-Operative Pain Management, 2016:
- This was a systemic review and meta-analysis to determine the efficiency of acupuncture treating post-op pain. Various databases were searched including Medline, Cochrane library, and Embase.
- Patients included were adults older than 18 who had surgery done and received electroacupuncture, and acupuncture for aiding with post-op pain.
- The results of the analysis showed that those patients who received acupuncture on Day 1 after surgery used fewer opioid analgesics and were additionally more effective. Acupuncture was determined to improve post-op pain, and is supported as an adjunct therapy for treating post-op pain.
Effectiveness and Safety of Acupuncture for Postoperative Ileus Following Gastrointestinal Surgery, 2022:
- The goal of this analysis was to determine the efficiency of acupuncture for post-op ileus (a complication of gastrointestinal surgery). There were 7 databases used as well as other related resources, and 18 random controlled trials were included which involved 1,413 patients.
- It was found that compared to traditional care, acupuncture decreased the time to first flatus, time to first defecation, time to bowel sounds recovery, and the length of the hospital stay. The study concluded that acupuncture decreased post-op ileus following GI surgery.
Acupuncture for Postoperative Gastrointestinal Dysfunction in Cancer, 2023:
- The goal of this analysis was to evaluate the efficiency of acupuncture for postoperative gastrointestinal dysfunction in cancer. There were multiple randomized controlled trials reviewed.
- Included in the analysis were 16 randomized controlled trials including 877 patients, and indicated that acupuncture effectively decreased time to first flatus, time to first defecation, and time to bowel sound recovery in comparison with traditional treatment in all cancer types.
- It was concluded that acupuncture was effective and safe for treating postoperative gastrointestinal dysfunction in cancer, and more high-quality randomized controlled trials are needed with various cancer types.