A Chinese study has shown that acupuncture at Sanyinjiao SP-6 can decrease the amount of analgesia required in the first 24 hours after caesarian section. Sixty women who had spinal anesthesia during caesarian section were randomly assigned to receive either acupuncture or electro-acupuncture at bilateral Sanyinjiao SP-6, or to a control group. Women in the acupuncture and electro-acupuncture groups delayed the time of requesting morphine up to 11 minutes later than the control group. The total dose of patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) used within the first 24 hours was 30%-35% less in the acupuncture groups compared with the control group, which was statistically significant. There was no significant difference between acupuncture and electro-acupuncture. Both acupuncture groups’ pain scores were significantly lower than the control group’s within the first two hours. Two hours later, however, there were no significant differences in pain scores between groups. The incidence of opioid-related side effects, such as dizziness, was also less in the acupuncture groups. (Effects of acupuncture on post-cesarean section pain. Chin Med J (Engl). 2009 Aug 5;122(15):1743-8).
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