Adequate pain control is important in allowing early participation in physical therapy after total joint replacement. Opioidanalgesics often cause side effects that limit physical therapy. Therefore, adequate pain relief with reduced narcotics opioids should speed recovery.

Purpose: To determine whether postoperative acupuncture would reduce narcotic usage and improve physical therapy after total joint replacement.

Total knee (TKR) and total hip replacement (THR)patients who received acupuncture on POD 1–3 or did not receive acupuncture were prospectively followed. Postoperative usage of patient controlled analgesia (PCA, normalized to intravenous morphine) and oral and parenteral opioids (normalized to oral immediate release morphine) were measured. Verbal analog pain scores, performance in physical therapy, length of stay(LOS) and location of discharge were recorded.

After TKR, there was no difference in pain scores in either group (acupuncture n=23, non-acupuncture n=25). PCA usage was 58% less in the acupuncture group for the entire hospital stay (p< 0.05). 74% of acupuncture patients and 36% of non-acupuncture patients did not require PCA after POD 2 (p< 0.05). The amount of additional narcotics was 58% less(p< 0.05) for the acupuncture group. Walking distance was greater in the acupuncture group by greater than 40% (p< 0.05) on any day after surgery.43% of the acupuncture patients and 24% of the non-acupuncture patients went home. There was no significant difference in knee flexion or LOS. After THA, the acupuncture group (n=7) used 54% less PCA (p< 0.05), used 96% less additional narcotic, and had 36–83% greater walking distance on any POD than-non-acupuncture group (n=7). Location of discharge and LOS was the same in both groups. There were no complications related to acupuncture in any patient.

Acupuncture is a safe and effective adjunct to traditional methods of postoperative pain management after total hip and total knee replacement.