Pain. 2000 Feb; 84(2-3): 429-30.

Bilateral hand oedema related to acupuncture.

McCartney CJ, Herriot R, Chambers WA.

Department of Anaesthesia, Grampian University Hospitals NHS Trust, Foresterhill, Aberdeen, UK. colinmccartney@hotmail.com

We report the case of bilateral hand swelling following acupuncture therapy for chronic low back pain. Despite thorough history, examination and laboratory testing no systemic cause for the swelling could be elicited. This case highlights the incomplete knowledge of acupuncture mechanisms and that limited acupuncture therapy can have significant adverse effects.