Effects of Scalp Acupuncture and Auricular Therapy on Acute Herpetic Pain and Postherpetic Neuralgia: A Case Series

Abstract

Background:

Both acute herpetic pain and postherpetic neuralgia can be managed with pharmacological and interventional approaches. However, some patients cannot tolerate particular medications due to adverse effects, especially elderly patients who are more likely to experience persistent and severe pain.

Objective:

To evaluate scalp acupuncture and auricular therapy for treatment of acute herpetic pain and postherpetic neuralgia.

Design, Setting, and Patients:

A retrospective case series study. Scalp acupuncture and auricular therapy were performed on 17 Japanese patients with acute herpetic pain or postherpetic neuralgia. All patients had been treated with conventional pain therapies such as medication, nerve blocks, and electrical nerve stimulation, which resulted in little or no pain relief.

Interventions:

Scalp acupuncture consisted of needling the corresponding “sensory” areas on the scalp with electrical stimulation at 150 Hz for 20 minutes. Auricular therapy with a stimulation device was performed concurrently.

Main Outcome Measures:

The degree of pain relief was evaluated by each patient as excellent, good, fair, or poor.

Results:

After the first session, pain relief effects were excellent in 5 patients, good in 6 patients, fair in 5, and poor in 1. After the fourth session, 6 patients noted excellent pain relief, 9 recorded good pain relief, while fair and poor pain relief were reported by 1 patient each. No significant adverse effects were observed except for minor bleeding and local scalp pain at the needle entry points in some cases.

Conclusions:

Scalp acupuncture and auricular therapy may have promising results for herpetic pain and postherpetic neuralgia without significant adverse effects.