Postoperative pain management and acupuncture: a case report of meniscal cyst excision

We report a case of pain management after a meniscal cyst excision, with the use of electroacupuncture (EA). There are a few reports which indicate that postoperative pain management is prerequisite for the patient's optimal recovery, but surveys in the UK and the USA have identified an unacceptable prevalence of poor pain control after surgery, which might increase the risk of a chronic pain state. The conventional treatment of postoperative pain includes systemic medications such as opioids, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and other non-opioid agents. In our case, the rehabilitation lasted for 6 months without significant benefit. After that period our patient was treated with EA. By the end of the first EA session the relief of pain was notable and after a course of 10 treatments the patient reported complete relief of the symptoms with no recurrence during a 2 year follow up period. In conclusion, this might indicate that EA could be useful for postoperative pain management.

Acupunct Med. 2009 Jun;27(2):79-80. Galanis N, Stavraka C, Boutsiadou T, Kirkos JM, Kapetanos G. Kerasountos 6, Thessaloniki 55131, Greece; kyros@med.auth.gr.