Acupuncture in medicine : journal of the British Medical Acupuncture Society
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This case history gives the unusual presentation of piriformis syndrome as the immediate cause of symptoms for a patient with spinal stenosis and non Hodgkin's lymphoma in a palliative care setting. It also details the relief and subsequent resolution of symptoms with acupuncture where strong opioids and neuropathic agents such as gabapentin and ketamine were providing only minimal relief.
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Although electroacupuncture (EA) therapy is used to relieve various kinds of pain, the optimal frequency and duration of EA remain unclear. We investigated the effect of varying frequency and duration of EA during hyperalgesia elicited by carrageenan-induced inflammation. ⋯ These results show that EA produces electroacupuncture analgesia of carrageenan-induced hyperalgesia. These findings also suggest that, among the frequencies and durations tested, EA at 3Hz (60 minutes) is the most suitable frequency and duration for carrageenan-induced inflammation. It seems that EA has different analgesic effects and mechanisms according to the parameters of stimulation. For EA in the clinical induction of analgesia, it is especially important that an effective frequency and duration are selected.