Battlefield acupuncture for post-partum pain: A randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Postpartum pain affects quality of life. Clinicians are increasingly using acupuncture for management of pain. Evidence based strategies that incorporate acupuncture for postpartum pain are lacking.

METHODS: We performed an exploratory, randomized clinical trial of Battlefield Auricular Acupuncture (BFA) plus standard analgesia versus standard analgesia alone for reduction of pain in the immediate postpartum period.

RESULTS: The mean time to 50% sustained reduction of initial pain in the standard analgesia group (n = 33) was 6 days compared to 5 days in the standard analgesia plus BFA (n = 37) group (p = 0.35). The mean total morphine equivalent units (MEUs) in the standard group compared to standard plus BFA group were 88 mg and 82 mg respectively (p = 0.45).

CONCLUSIONS: This exploratory comparison suggests that BFA may not provide additional benefit to standard analgesia for immediate postpartum pain; however, the trend toward faster reduction in pain indicates that a larger definitive study may be required.