Comparing Acupuncture and Sham Acupuncture for Pain Relief
Author Information
Author(s): Juerg Schliessbach, Eveline van der Klift, Andreas Siegenthaler, Lars Arendt-Nielsen, Michele Curatolo, Konrad Streitberger
Primary Institution: University Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Therapy, Inselspital Bern, Switzerland
Hypothesis
Does acupuncture needling induce analgesic effects comparable to diffuse noxious inhibitory controls?
Conclusion
Acupuncture at low pain stimulus intensity did not produce a DNIC-like effect comparable to a classical, painful DNIC test and its effect did not significantly differ from the one induced by nonpenetrating sham acupuncture.
Supporting Evidence
- Pressure pain detection threshold (PPDT) rose after acupuncture, NPSA, and DNIC test.
- There was no significant difference between acupuncture and NPSA.
- DNIC test showed a significantly higher increase in PPDT compared to acupuncture and NPSA.
Takeaway
The study tested if acupuncture helps with pain like a cold water test does, but found that acupuncture didn't work as well as the cold water test.
Methodology
This was a randomized, blinded, crossover study where 45 healthy volunteers underwent acupuncture, nonpenetrating sham acupuncture, and a cold-pressor test.
Limitations
Possible carry-over effects between treatments represent a major limitation.
Participant Demographics
45 healthy volunteers (23 females, 22 males) with a mean age of 24.2 years.
Statistical Information
P-Value
P < 0.001
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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