Acupuncture after surgery of soft tissue tumors of the extremities: postoperative pain and feasibility: a prospective trial.
Erfan Ghanad, Hannah Fischer, Christel Weiß et al.
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In 30 seconds
This prospective, single-arm, single-centre pilot study assessed acupuncture feasibility and postoperative pain after extremity soft tissue tumor resection in 25 patients. All received acupuncture on postoperative day (POD) 1, with pain measured using the Numeric Rating Scale and Brief Pain Inventory. Mean pain at rest was 1.2 (± 1.2) on POD 1 and below 0.5 (± 0.8) from POD 2 onward; the Brief Pain Inventory pain severity index declined after POD 1, reaching its lowest level on POD 3. Optimal needle placement was feasible in 8 of 25 patients. No serious adverse events were attributed to acupuncture.
Key findings
- Mean resting pain was 1.2 (± 1.2) on POD 1 and below 0.5 (± 0.8) from POD 2 onward.
- The Brief Pain Inventory pain severity index declined significantly after POD 1 and was lowest on POD 3.
- Needle placement at the optimal position was feasible in 8 of 25 patients.
- Eleven patients had wound complications, none attributed to acupuncture; no other serious adverse events were observed.
Why it matters
Postoperative pain after extremity soft tissue tumor resection was low in this cohort, and acupuncture could be delivered without observed acupuncture-related serious harm. These findings provide preliminary information about pain trajectories and procedural feasibility in a population for which the study notes limited systematic assessment. They do not establish that acupuncture reduces pain or opioid use.
What to keep in mind
The study was a small, single-centre, single-arm pilot without a control group, so it cannot establish acupuncture efficacy or distinguish its effects from the postoperative pain course.