Subcutaneous longitudinal acupuncture: a novel and effective approach to acute pain relief in inpatients with rib fracture

Backgorund Pain control is emphasized as a priority for practitioners and patients with rib fracture. Main acute pain management includes analgesia and nerve block. There are some side effects recorded and the effect can’t be continued. All clinical practitioners expect to create a new and safe therapy which could offer long-term pain relief. Acupuncture has been applied to relieve pain for a long time. No clinical trial has taken acupuncture to treat patients with rib fracture currently. Methods and Evaluation This is a prospective, randomized, and single-blind study. A creative therapy named “Subcutaneous longitudinal acupuncture” is applied. Intradermal needle is taken as a control to exclude placebo effect. Evaluation including pain intensity of deep breath, cough, turn over the body, and the angle and rate of turn over the body will be taken before and after needling. Quality of sleep and sustained maximal inspiration (SMI) lung volumes are also recorded. Expected outcome Based on the use of single oral analgesia, the involvement of long needle retention duration of “Subcutaneous longitudinal acupuncture” may relieve acute pain in patients with multiple rib fracture immediately. It may reduce pain when taking deep breath, coughing, and turning over the body, improve sleep quality and recovery of lung function, and decrease the incidence of other lung complications.