Acupuncture is comparable with pharmacotherapy in the emergency department (ED), but neither provides adequate acute analgesia within the first hour, claims a new study.
Researchers at RMIT (Melbourne, Australia), Monash University (Melbourne, Australia), and other institutions conducted a randomised study to compare acupuncture alone, acupuncture plus pharmacotherapy, and pharmacotherapy alone for alleviating pain in patients presenting to the ED with acute low back pain, migraine, or an ankle sprain. The primary outcome measure was clinically relevant pain relief at one hour, as measured on a verbal numerical rating scale (VNRS), and statistically relevant pain relief as a reduction in VNRS score greater than two units.
Acupuncture is an alternative medicine methodology originating in ancient China that uses thin, solid needles that are manipulated into specific points on the skin. According to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), stimulating these points can correct imbalances in the flow of qi through channels known as meridians. Scientific research, however, has not found any histological or physiological correlates for qi, meridians, and acupuncture points.