title: DoD-NCCAM/NIH workshop on acupuncture for treatment of acute pain.
abstract: The Department of Defense (DoD) and the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) cosponsored a workshop that explored the possible benefits of acupuncture treatment for acute pain. One goal of the workshop was to establish a roadmap to building an evidence base on that would indicate whether acupuncture is helpful for treating active-duty military personnel experiencing acute pain. The workshop highlighted brief presentations on the most current research on acupuncture and acute pain mechanisms. The impact of various modifiers (stress, genetics, population, phenotypes, etc.) on acute pain pathways and response to acupuncture treatment was discussed. Additional presentations focused on common neural mechanisms, an overview of real-world experience with using acupuncture to treat traumatic acute pain, and best tools and methods specific for acupuncture studies. Three breakout groups addressed the gaps, opportunities, and barriers to acupuncture use for acute pain in military and trauma settings. Different models of effectiveness research and optimal research designs for conducting trials in acute traumatic pain were also discussed.
authors.affiliation: Division of Extramural Research, National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. edwardse@mail.nih.gov
authors.forename: Emmeline
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Edwards
authors.forename: Jean Louis
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Belard
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Glowa
authors.forename: Partap
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Khalsa
authors.forename: Wendy
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Weber
authors.forename: Kristen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Huntley
mesh_terms: D026881:Acupuncture; D059787:Acute Pain / Q000628:therapy*; D003226:Congresses as Topic; D006801:Humans; D008889:Military Personnel; D009316:National Institutes of Health (U.S.); D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D059408:Pain Management / Q000379:methods*; D014481:United States; D059030:United States Department of Defense