The role of acupuncture in the treatment of chronic pain

Best Pract Res Clin Anaesthesiol. 2020 Sep;34(3):603-616. doi: 10.1016/j.bpa.2020.08.005. Epub 2020 Aug 8.

Abstract

Acupuncture is a practice based on traditional Chinese medicine, in which needles are used to restore the body's internal balance. Recently, there has been growing interest in the use of acupuncture for various pain conditions. Acupuncture's efficacy in five pain conditions-low back pain (LBP), migraines, fibromyalgia, neck pain, and abdominal pain-was evaluated in this evidence-based, comprehensive review. Based on the most recent evidence, migraine and fibromyalgia are two conditions with the most favorable outcomes after acupuncture. At the same time, abdominal pain has the least evidence for the use of acupuncture. Acupuncture is efficacious for reducing pain in patients with LBP, and for short-term pain relief for those with neck pain. Further research needs to be done to evaluate acupuncture's efficacy in these conditions, especially for abdominal pain, as many of the current studies have a risk of bias due to lack of blinding and small sample size.

Keywords: abdominal pain; acupuncture; fibromyalgia; low back pain; migraine; neck pain.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Abdominal Pain / diagnosis
  • Abdominal Pain / physiopathology
  • Abdominal Pain / therapy
  • Acupuncture Therapy / methods*
  • Back Pain / diagnosis
  • Back Pain / physiopathology
  • Back Pain / therapy
  • Chronic Pain / diagnosis*
  • Chronic Pain / physiopathology
  • Chronic Pain / therapy*
  • Fibromyalgia / diagnosis
  • Fibromyalgia / physiopathology
  • Fibromyalgia / therapy
  • Humans
  • Migraine Disorders / diagnosis
  • Migraine Disorders / physiopathology
  • Migraine Disorders / therapy
  • Pain Management / methods*
  • Treatment Outcome