Acupuncture for acute postoperative pain after back surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
OBJECTIVE
Acupuncture is commonly used as a complimentary treatment for pain management. However, there has been no systematic review summarizing the current evidence concerning the effectiveness of acupuncture for acute postoperative pain after back surgery. This systematic review aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of acupuncture treatment for acute postoperative pain (≤1 week) after back surgery.


METHODS
We searched 15 electronic databases without language restrictions. Two reviewers independently assessed studies for eligibility and extracted data, outcomes, and risk of bias. Random effect meta-analyses and subgroup analyses were performed.


RESULTS
Five trials, including 3 of high quality, met our inclusion criteria. The meta-analysis showed positive results for acupuncture treatment of pain after surgery in terms of the visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain intensity 24 hours after surgery, when compared to sham acupuncture (standard mean difference -0.67 (-1.04 to -0.31), P = 0.0003), whereas the other meta-analysis did not show a positive effect of acupuncture on 24-hour opiate demands when compared to sham acupuncture (standard mean difference -0.23 (-0.58 to 0.13), P = 0.21).


CONCLUSIONS
Our systematic review finds encouraging but limited evidence for the effectiveness of acupuncture treatment for acute postoperative pain after back surgery. Further rigorously designed clinical trials are required.
School of Korean Medicine, Pusan National University, Yangsan, Republic of Korea.
Young-Hun
YH
Cho
Chang-Kyu
CK
Kim
Kwang-Ho
KH
Heo
Myeong Soo
MS
Lee
In-Hyuk
IH
Ha
Dong Wuk
DW
Son
Byung Kwan
BK
Choi
Geun-Sung
GS
Song
Byung-Cheul
BC
Shin
D015670:Acupuncture Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D059787:Acute Pain; D006801:Humans; D019637:Orthopedic Procedures; D059408:Pain Management; D010147:Pain Measurement; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000628:therapy*; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D013131:Spine / Q000601:surgery*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
acupuncture; back surgery; meta-analysis; pain; systematic review