Tehran University Medical Journal

Background: Acupuncture is one of the most effective methods of alleviating pain in different situations including chronic and acute pain management. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of acupuncture in the reduction of post-operative pain after hernia repair.

Methods: In this placebo-controlled, double-blinded clinical trial, we enrolled 60 male patients aged 30 to 60 years old with an ASA physical status of I or II undergoing elective inguinal hernia repair under general anesthesia in Imam Khomeini Hospital, Tehran, Iran. All patients experienced standard anesthetic and surgical procedures. After completion of the operation and while the patients were still under general anesthesia, they were randomly assigned to two groups: acupuncture (with stimulation of GV2, GV4 and SP6 points with sterile acupuncture needles), and control (with sham acupuncture stimulation). After termination of anesthesia, during the first six hours, the pain intensity was evaluated hourly. Pethidine (25 mg) was administered for the patients when necessary. Pain intensity and pethidine use were recorded and compared between the two groups.

Results: The mean age of two groups did not differ. Pain intensity was significantly lower in the acupuncture group between the second and fifth postoperative hours. Moreover, pethidine use was significantly lower in the acupuncture group versus the control group during the first six hours after surgery (12.07±7.5 mg vs. 12.91±6.5 mg, respectively p=0.0001).

Conclusion: The application of acupuncture in patients is associated with a marked decrease in pain after inguinal hernia repair and does not have any serious complications. Acupuncture is strongly recommended for all post-operative patients.

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE AR-SA MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 Background: Approximately 2-15% of the global population suffers from migraine headaches. Since acupuncture is one of the treatments for this disorder, the aim of the present study was to assess the effectiveness of this modality on patients with migraine.
Methods: In this experimental interventional study, we enrolled 180 patients with migraine headache attacks at a documented frequency of at least 2 attacks during last 6 months. For all patients, the number, duration and intensity of the headaches were recorded before treatment. To treat the patients, the point with maximal pain was first determined and the meridian was distinguished. Then, the related acupoints were found and stimulated by percutaneous electrical acupuncture for several minutes. The procedure was repeated once per week for six weeks. After completion of all treatment sessions, the patients were visited and questioned about the number, duration and the intensity of headaches.
Results: The mean of number of attacks (9.55±8.26 vs. 3.50±6.77, p=0.001), the mean duration of each attack (9.11±6.59 vs. 3.33±3.65, p=0.001) and the intensity of the attacks (1.83±0.38 vs. 0.61±0.78, p=0.001) were significantly lower after treatment.
Conclusion: Application of acupuncture in patients with migraine headaches is associated with a significant decrease in the mean number, duration and intensity of attacks. Thus, this method of treatment is strongly recommended for migraine headache.