Acupuncture Reduces Pain after Tonsillectomy

Acupuncture Reduces Pain after Tonsillectomy

Stanford University doctors conclude that acupuncture during surgery reduces pain. Research published in The Laryngoscope finds acupuncture effective for reducing pain and improving restoration of a normal diet postoperatively when acupuncture is applied during surgery. Doctors from the Stanford University School of Medicine conclude that acupuncture is “feasible, well tolerated, and results in improved pain and earlier return of diet postoperatively.”

The research was conducted by doctors from two Stanford University School of Medicine (Palo Alto, California) departments, the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and the Department of Anesthesia.
A randomized-controlled investigation of acupuncture’s benefits to pediatric tonsillectomy patients reveals that acupuncture patients “experienced significantly less pain at various postoperative time points as compared to the control cohort, and also that the onset of analgesia in the acupuncture cohort began by 36 hours postoperatively, whereas the control group did not reach significant analgesia until 84 hours postoperatively.”

Postoperative oral intake improved for patients receiving acupuncture during the tonsillectomy operation. The researchers note, “Oral intake was significantly more improved in the acupuncture group than the control group (P = 0.01).” They add that “the acupuncture group had significantly increased oral intake starting at 24 hours and lasting through all remaining time points examined, whereas the control group had significantly increased oral intake starting at 72 hours postoperatively.” 

Source of the report is here.