Manual acupuncture for analgesia during electromyography: a pilot study.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the analgesic effect of acupuncture for needle electromyography and to validate a sham acupuncture needle.


METHODS
Randomized, double-blinded, controlled study.


METHODS
University-based electrodiagnostics laboratory.


METHODS
Fifty-one subjects referred for electrodiagnostic evaluation.


METHODS
Before the electromyography examination, either real acupuncture needles or telescopic sham needles were applied.


METHODS
Visual analog scale of pain and unpleasantness after 3 muscles were examined with electromyography. Pretest pain was subtracted to give a measurement of pain attributable to the electromyography. Subjects were asked which needle they thought they had received.


RESULTS
Twenty-six subjects were randomized to the treatment group and 25 to the sham group. Pain in the treatment group (-.96) was less than in the control group (9.68), but it was not statistically significant (P=.13). Post hoc analysis, excluding 5 subjects known to have been treated by the novice acupuncturist, showed a significant difference of 14.4mm (P=.02). The proportion of subjects who thought they received real needles in the acupuncture group (69%) did not differ from the proportion in the control group (48%) (P=.13).


CONCLUSIONS
Acupuncture may represent an effective form of analgesia for electromyography. This is the first study to suggest independently the telescopic sham acupuncture needle as an effective control.
Smith
Matthew J
MJ
Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48108, USA.
Tong
Henry C
HC
D026881:Acupuncture; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000698:Analgesia / Q000379:methods*; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004576:Electromyography / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010146:Pain / Q000517:prevention & control*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D017288:Pain Threshold; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011336:Probability; D012016:Reference Values; D016896:Treatment Outcome