Evidence mapPaperPMID 41552298Full record

ArticleAmerican journal of translational research2025

Evaluation of acupuncture on pain intensity and sleep quality in patients with neuropathic pain following spinal cord injury.

Yong Cao, Zhiqiang Bai

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Article in American journal of translational research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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5 · Who and what money

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2 authors.

Yong CaoDepartment of Rehabilitation, Northwest University First Hospital No. 512 Xianning East Road, Xincheng District, Xi'an 710043, Shaanxi, China.
Zhiqiang BaiDepartment of Rehabilitation, Northwest University First Hospital No. 512 Xianning East Road, Xincheng District, Xi'an 710043, Shaanxi, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTo assess the efficacy of incorporating acupuncture into standard pharmacotherapy for neuropathic pain following spinal cord injury (SCI-NP) and investigate the potential influence of age and disease duration on this effect.

methodsWe conducted a retrospective review of 312 patients with SCI-NP who were treated at Northwest University First Hospital from March 2022 to August 2024. According to the hospital information system, patients either received standard pharmacotherapy alone (control) or pharmacotherapy in conjunction with acupuncture (study). The duration of both regimens was four weeks. The main outcomes were changes in the Pain Rating Index (PRI), the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), and the Present Pain Intensity (PPI). Secondary outcomes included sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, PSQI), inflammatory markers (Interleukin-1 beta, Interleukin-6, Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha), immune indices (Immunoglobulin A, Immunoglobulin G), and adverse events.

resultsThe combination resulted in more significant decreases in PRI, VAS, and PPI, as well as more notable enhancements in PSQI, inflammatory markers, and immunoglobulin levels (all P<0.0001), compared to pharmacotherapy alone. The rates of adverse events were comparable between groups (P>0.05). Age-by-duration analysis revealed that in patients aged 40-50 years, an extended disease duration correlated with a diminished probability of pain improvement (P=0.018); conversely, no definitive association was found in individuals over 50 years (P=0.694).

conclusionAdding acupuncture to conventional pharmacotherapy reduced pain, improved sleep quality, and shifted inflammatory and immune indices in a favorable direction, without an increase in adverse events. Treatment response varied by patient profile: among those aged 40 to 50 years, longer disease duration was linked to a lower likelihood of pain improvement, while no clear duration effect was seen in older patients.

Indexed as

acupunctureeffect modificationneuropathic painpharmacotherapySpinal cord injury

Identifiers

PMID41552298
PMCPMC12808036

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.