Electroacupuncture in the treatment of refractory neuropathic pain

Abstract

The technique of acupuncture frequently used in cases of neuropathy consists of inserting needles into classic acupuncture points along the affected nerve and may be associated with manual or electrical stimulation. This article aims to report the case of a 47-year-old male patient with chronic postoperative neuropathic pain difficult to control and refractory to treatment who responded positively with the use of electroacupuncture bordering the cicatricial region. He was previously submitted to conservative and interventional treatments with moderate results. He was admitted to our AcupunctureSector where three cycles of acupuncture were performed. Due to the return of intense pain, in the third cycle, electroacupuncture procedures with cutaneous-neural needlework were started margining the surgical scar. He presented progressive improvement and was discharged from the outpatient clinic with pain of mild intensity, remaining stable for the next eight months until the writing of this article, without regular use of pain medications. This case demonstrates anew possibility of successful treatment of neuropathic pain after traumatic injury, using cutaneous neural needlepoint and electroacupuncture, and should serve as an incentive for new clinical uses of the technique and conducting research that demonstrates and proves its efficacy.