Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2003 Sep; 84(9): E1-2.

Acupuncture analgesia and electromyography.

Smith MJ, Tong HC, Werner RA, Haig AJ.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the analgesic effect of a simple acupuncture protocol with needle electromyography and to validate independently a telescopic sham acupuncture needle. Design: Randomized, double-blinded, controlled study. Setting: University-based electrodiagnostics laboratory. Participants: 38 subjects referred for electrodiagnostic evaluation. Intervention: Before the electromyographic examination, an independent provider applied either real acupuncture needles or telescopic sham needles to the acupuncture points Large Intestine 4 and Liver 3 bilaterally. Main Outcome Measures: 100-mm visual analog scale (VAS) of the subjects' pain before electromyography as well as pain and unpleasantness related to electromyography after 3 muscles were examined. Subjects were also asked if they thought they had received true acupuncture or sham needles. Pretest pain was subtracted from electromyography-related pain to give a measurement of pain attributable to the electromyography. Results: 21 subjects were randomized to the treatment group and 17 to the sham group. The subjects in the two treatment arms did not differ by age (P=0.9) or gender (P=0.4). The pain attributable to electromyography in the treatment group (mean, -5.38+/-27.6) was significantly less than the pain attributable to electromyography in the control group (mean, 11.3+/-17.3) (P=.037; 95% CI, -32.3 to -1.1) The percentage of subjects who thought they had received real needles in the acupuncture group (67%) did not differ from the proportion in the control group (53%) (Fisher exact test, P=.51). Conclusion: Acupuncture may represent an effective form of analgesia for electromyography. This is the first study of which we are aware that independently validates the telescopic sham acupuncture needle as an effective control. Key Words: Acupuncture analgesia; Electromyography; Pain; Randomized controlled trials; Rehabilitation.