The Role of Acupuncture in Postoperative Pain Management of Patients Undergoing Knee Arthroplasty Surgery

Acupuncture after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) may decrease the incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV).Acupuncture did not decrease visual analog scale (VAS) scores in the 0 to 48-hour interval but did decrease VAS scores at >48 hours after TKA.The heterogeneity of the studies prevented meta-analysis of opioid use with acupuncture after TKA; a systematic review demonstrated mixed results.Additional studies are needed to investigate opioid reduction with acupuncture after TKA.