Emergency doctors are using acupuncture to treat pain, now heres the evidence
Emergency medicine is not all about life and death situations and high-tech solutions. Our study, the largest of its kind in the world, shows using acupuncture in the emergency department can relieve acute pain.
The study, published today in the Medical Journal of Australia, finds acupuncture is as effective as medication in treating pain for lower back pain and ankle sprain. But it took more than an hour for either to provide adequate pain relief.
Our study builds on previous research to show the effectiveness of acupuncture to treat chronic (long-term) pain.
Yet, there are several barriers to using acupuncture routinely in emergency departments.
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