Recently, Dr. Chen, who is also a certified acupuncturist, has been researching the use of this ancient technique to alleviate post-surgical pain and limit the use of opioids during recovery. In a recent study of 41 patients, she found that 65% of patients who received ear acupuncture during knee surgery were able to continue treatment with only low doses of medication (if any). compared to 9% in the group who had not received acupuncture in the past. Additionally, everyone in the acupuncture group stopped taking the medication within her 30 days.
Measuring pain and its relief is very difficult, but seeing is believing. “One of the surgeons told me that he could tell which patients in the recovery room had received acupuncture just by looking at their facial expressions,” Dr. Chen says.
Here she provides some insight into the approach and other benefits of acupuncture before, during, and after surgery.
Key points of acupuncture treatment
Acupuncture is an ancient practice used in Eastern cultures that helps restore balance to the body’s vital energy (also known as qi or Qi) by stimulating specific points in the body. In the United States, acupuncture is typically used to relieve muscle and bone pain, such as lower back pain and arthritis, but as Dr. Chen demonstrated, it has many other potential uses.
Although little has been proven about the mechanism of action, modern theories suggest that acupuncture may:
- Promotes blood flow and nervous system health
- Releases healing hormones called endorphins
- Prevent nausea, constipation, and headaches after surgery
- It reduces swelling for several days after surgery and improves joint movement.
- Reduces pain after surgery and during the first few weeks of recovery
Understand the connection between the knees and ears
For knee replacement patients, Dr. Chen uses electroauricular acupuncture, which stimulates specific points in the outer ear with tiny needles that deliver tiny electrical pulses. The patient is paralyzed from the waist down, but is so sedated that although he can feel the needle in place, he remains unconscious for about an hour. . (“For patients who are awake, it is Hmm Not emotions, but ah I feel it,” she says. )
Dr. Chen says HSS supports ongoing research in this area and would like to encourage more anesthesiologists and surgeons to consider acupuncture as a complementary treatment before surgery. She also encourages patients and non-patients to try acupuncture any time they want pain relief or are preparing for a procedure. “It’s very, very safe,” she says. “Patients who have had multiple surgeries tell me they have never felt so good after surgery.”
Find the right acupuncturist for the job
If you want to find an acupuncturist near you, be sure to do your homework. Each state has its own requirements for who can perform acupuncture. (Some require a medical degree, others don’t even require a certification.) Dr. Chen recommends acupuncturists or physicians certified by organizations such as the National Certification Board for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine or the American Certification Board. I recommend looking for it. Field of medical acupuncture.
