Surgery can be a major source of stress for the body, but sometimes, it’s unavoidable. If you’re worried about an upcoming surgery and you want to make certain that you have a speedy recovery post-op, acupuncture is an effective supportive treatment that can aid in your progress post-op. As a matter of fact, there are various benefits that come with acupuncture post-op that make it worth considering as a treatment option. Recovering from surgery can be a long and difficult process. Post-op pain is one of the most common issues with getting surgery, and according to the US Institute of Medicine, around 80% of patients who have had surgery report post-op pain. Acupuncture visits both pre and post-op can speed up the recovery process significantly by decreasing inflammation and encouraging healthy circulation. Acupuncture is well-known nowadays for being helpful for multiple types of pain management, and post-op pain is no exception.
Post-Operative Pain
Having surgery puts stress on your body, and the pain experienced after surgery is both a physical and psychological experience. Being that surgery innately involves the cutting of nerves and tissues, your body automatically activates the injury response. It is believed in conventional medicine that pre-operative anxiety or pain can cause the development of further post-operative pain. The post-op pain felt all depends on the type of surgery, technique, and expertise of the surgeon at hand.
Types of Post-Op Pain:
- Throat Pain– this is often caused by anesthesia. Your throat may feel sore or scratchy.
- Nausea/Vomiting/Stomach pain – this is often caused by anesthesia or certain types of surgery.
- Movement Pain – many doctors nowadays will encourage you to post-op in an effort to encourage the healing to start. They will encourage movements such as sitting up and walking, and these are crucial for discharge but can also cause more pain around or at the surgery site.
- Muscle Pain – this is often caused by the surgery itself, but due to the length of the surgery. Depending on how long the surgery took, you may feel pain in the chest, back, neck, and shoulders.
None of these pains should be severe, and if it is, your doctor should be contacted.
For the most part, any post-operative pain is controlled in conventional medicine with either prescription or over-the-counter pain relievers. However, especially when it comes to prescription opioids, this can lead you to experience unfavorable side effects and even addiction. There are benefits and risks to both of these options in addition to other pain management options like nerve blocks or local anesthetics.
Many conventional doctors will also recommend that you try functional types of recovery after surgery such as physical therapy or acupuncture as they can relieve muscle tension, and move healing forward.
Acupuncture & Post-Op Pain
Acupuncture works for post-operative pain, and research has shown that it can greatly decrease the intensity of post-op pain, lower the need for prescription opioid medication, and decrease inflammation and promoting better circulation after surgery. The main difference between conventional treatment post-op and acupuncture is that not only is it very effective for pain management, but there are also little to no side effects. Additionally, it can be utilized before, during, and after surgery, especially since medical doctors believe that anxiety pre-op may contribute to worse pain post-op which acupuncture also treats. Acupuncture treatment for post-op pain prompts the release of endorphins, and these hormones which alter the way the brain perceives pain.
Acupuncture Works for Post-op Pain by:
- Additional Benefits – acupuncture aids with clearing the mind fog, sleep problems, and nausea/vomiting that can be after effects of surgery.
- Improve blood circulation – improving blood circulation will decrease swelling.
- Reduce scarring – scarring a side-effect of surgery that cannot be avoided. With the increase in blood flow with acupuncture treatment, it allows for the scar tissue to break up.
- Increase endorphins – these hormones are innately released with acupuncture treatment, and they help to decrease pain and stress, and improve the mood.
- Decrease opioids dependence – In the United States, the opioid crisis is still surging, and with opioids being prescribed left and right, it is no wonder many people are unintentionally becoming addicted. This dependence can cause further issues down the road, when all you needed was to manage pain from surgery.
- Decrease inflammation – mild inflammation is necessary to heal, but if it becomes consistent, then it can be a problem.
Acupuncture treatment also aids to decrease inflammation not only by improving circulation, but also by clearing cytokines which allows for a quicker recovery. Many studies have proven over and over again the benefits of acupuncture for post-op treatment including three recent studies from 2023, 2022, and 2016 all showing positive results.
Acupuncture care is an effective alternative for post-operative pain treatment that provides a great deal of benefits both before and beyond surgery offering pain relief and much more. Incorporating these therapies into your conventional post-op care could lead to a more effective and comprehensive recovery.
If you are seeking to boost post-op treatment outcomes, accelerate healing, or simply mitigate pain with a natural, effective treatment, acupuncture is a positive option. Consider integrating acupuncture into your pre- and post-surgery care to enhance your recovery and overall health.