Battlefield Acupuncture
Battlefield acupuncture was developed as a protocol for the rapid relief of pain, with the intention that it could be used in military battlefields as well as in emergency situations.
Battlefield acupuncture uses is a set of acupuncture points on the ear (also known as auricular acupuncture), which is tailored to the type and location of the pain. Tsai et al, (2016) described 4 cases in which emergency physicians with brief training in the protocol treated patients with acute pain when opioid-based painkillers were unsuitable.
This style of acupuncture has been found effective as an adjunct for low back pain in a USA ED setting (Emergency Dept., A&E equivalent, with a statistically significant benefit over usual care alone (Fox et al, 2018; n=30; p=0.04).
A 2017 systematic review of 6 trials (458 participants) found that while study numbers were limited, “ear acupuncture, either as stand-alone or as-an-adjunct technique, significantly reduced pain scores and has potential benefits for use in the ED [emergency department]” (Jan et al, 2017).
Elsewhere, battlefield acupuncture also has useful applications to trauma related issues, including PTSD and following traumatic injury (Walker et al, 2016; Niemtzow, 2007).
Acupuncturists (MBAcC) Rachel Peckham and Samina Haider set up an acupuncture NADA group in a Mosque in London in the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower tragedy, for trauma application: There is an informative video about this from the British Acupuncture Council showing the NADA protocol in action in a group setting, and patients discussing the treatment: BAcC auricular (NADA) video the background and uses are also discussed.
A systematic review protocol was put forward recently (Zhang et al, 2020) for application to migraine, so it will be of interest to see the outcome here.
References:
Fox, L.M., Murakami, M., Danesh, H. and Manini, A.F., 2018. Battlefield acupuncture to treat low back pain in the emergency department. The American Journal of Emergency Medicine, 36(6), pp.1045-1048.
Guthrie, R.M. and Chorba, R., 2016. Physical Therapy Treatment Of Chronic Neck Pain A Discussion And Case Study: Using Dry Needling And Battlefield Acupuncture. Journal of special operations medicine: a peer reviewed journal for SOF medical professionals, 16(1), pp.1-5.
Jan, A.L., Aldridge, E.S., Rogers, I.R., Visser, E.J., Bulsara, M.K. and Niemtzow, R.C., 2017. Does ear acupuncture have a role for pain relief in the emergency setting? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Medical acupuncture, 29(5), pp.276-289.
Niemtzow, R.C., 2007. Battlefield acupuncture. Medical Acupuncture, 19(4), pp.225-228.
Tsai, S.L., Fox, L.M., Murakami, M. and Tsung, J.W., 2016. Auricular acupuncture in emergency department treatment of acute pain. Annals of emergency medicine, 68(5), pp.583-585.
Walker, P.H., Pock, A., Ling, C.G., Kwon, K.N. and Vaughan, M., 2016. Battlefield acupuncture: opening the door for acupuncture in Department of Defense/Veteran’s Administration health care. Nursing outlook, 64(5), pp.491-498.
Zhang, F., Shen, Y., Fu, H., Zhou, H. and Wang, C., 2020. Auricular acupuncture for migraine: a systematic review protocol. Medicine, 99(5).
