Acupuncture Eases Tonsillectomy Pain in Children: Study

Acupuncture may help ease tonsillectomy pain in children and youngsters, a latest study shows.

Researchers reviewed data from previous studies that involved 56 children and youngsters who underwent tonsillectomy for three months. These patients were not given any narcotic painkillers post-surgery.

The participants were given acupuncture to ease their pain. The researchers measured the level of pain in the respondents before and after the treatment.

According to the researcher James W. Ochi, M.D., from Children's ENT of San Diego, the average level of pain among children who received acupuncture slid from 5.52 out of 10 to 1.92 after treatment, reported to HealthDay.

The results also showed that the average duration of perceived acupuncture benefit lasted for 61.24 hours. Also, they did not find any side effects with the treatment.

"The data tentatively suggest that acupuncture decreases perceived pain in children and adolescents after tonsillectomy," Ochi explained in a press release. "These data - combined with the cost effectiveness, safety, and ease of administering acupuncture - suggest that further studies exploring the effectiveness of acupuncture in juveniles after tonsillectomy are merited."

The researchers also stated that codeine, a drug use to relieve the tonsillectomy pain, had been banned by FDA. This leaves the patients to rely on over-the-counter drugs such as Tylenol and ibuprofen, which also have risks, especially in young patients and the drugs may not be effective in treating pain. 

The study authors wrote that it is no longer safe to prescribe opioids to children and young adults. So there is need to find alternative ways to deal with the pain. "No matter who performs the surgery or how it's done, children often experience pain for ten days after tonsillectomy, even longer for adults," said Dr. Ochi. "It's extremely gratifying to see a safe and drug free treatment such as acupuncture reduce the pain and discomfort in children after surgery.

The research was published in the 'International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology.'