ACUPUNCTURE AS AN EFFECTIVE MODALITY FOR POST-AMPUTATION PAIN: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

Background

  Acupuncture is a medical treatment modality rooted in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) with speculative origins from 6000 BCE.1 Even the Iceman Ötzi who reportedly lived over 5,000 years ago was discovered with 47 tattoos hypothesized to have topographic distributions within acupoint meridians (figure 1).2 As a modality practiced worldwide, acupuncture has been reported as a beneficial therapy for numerous diseases. The World Health Organization (WHO) has published information regarding numerous diseases proven to be treated by acupuncture with methodologies for its education and practice.3 Given that the underpinnings of its science have not been fully established more research is essential for acupuncture to meet the standards of the scientific community.

  In 2013, a comprehensive systematic review on acupuncture for management of phantom limb pain was conducted. Quality assessment of the systematic review’s trials exhibited weak study ratings and Grade C level evidence under Agency for Healthcare Policy and Research Guidelines.4 In this work we share preliminary results on an upgraded review on acupuncture for post-amputation pain. As this treatment modality continues to grow, more information continues to support its use as a low-cost beneficial therapy. The medical community requires continued research in the domain of acupuncture to establish improved evidence and protocols for its use.