Effect of acupuncture on post-hemorrhoidectomy pain: a randomized controlled trial

OBJECTIVES: To observe the clinical efficacy and safety of electroacupuncture (EA) in relieving pain after hemorrhoidectomy treatment for mixed hemorrhoids. DESIGN: This was a randomized controlled trial. METHODS: We conducted a single-center, single-blind, and randomized controlled clinical trial. Seventy-two patients with mixed hemorrhoids who had undergone hemorrhoidectomy were randomly assigned to the following 2 groups: the EA treatment group (EA) received surround needling with EA (n=36), and the control group received sham acupuncture (SA) treatment (n=36). The treatment was conducted within 15 min after the completion of the surgery and lasted for 30 min. The pain intensity was recorded by using the visual analog scale as the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes were verbal rating scale and Wong–Baker Faces Pain Rating. These measurements were evaluated at 11 time points: once every hour in the first 8 h after the treatment, 24 and 48 h after the treatment, and at the first defecation. Besides, quality of life was measured by Symptom Checklist-90 Scale at 24 and 48 h follow-ups. RESULTS: The EA group had significantly lower visual analog scale scores at the 3 time points of 6, 24 h, and during the defecation (p<0.05). Verbal rating scale showed a significantly lower score in the treatment group compared to the SA group at 4 h after the treatment as well as during defecation (p<0.05). The Wong–Baker Faces Pain Rating scores of EA group were significantly lower at 5, 7, and 8 h after treatment and during defecation (p<0.05) compared with those of SA group. CONCLUSION: Acupuncture is effective in alleviating postoperative pain in patients who have undergone hemorrhoidectomy.