Can Acupuncture Help Relieve Procedural Pain in Newborns? A Look at the Latest Evidence
- georgschmoelzer
- May 2
- 2 min read
Managing pain in newborns—especially those admitted to neonatal intensive care units (NICUs)—is a constant clinical challenge. With limited options for safe and effective pharmacological interventions, healthcare professionals are increasingly exploring alternative methods of pain relief. One such method, acupuncture, a practice rooted in Traditional Chinese Medicine, is gaining attention as a potential tool in neonatal pain management.
A recent systematic review set out to assess whether acupuncture is a safe and effective intervention for newborns undergoing painful procedures, such as heel pricks or venipunctures. This comprehensive review included 11 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving 852 infants and compared acupuncture to various controls, including no treatment, sham acupuncture, oral sucrose or glucose, and other Traditional Chinese Medicine techniques like foot massage or reflexology.
What Did the Study Find?
Acupuncture vs. No Treatment/Sham: When compared to no intervention or sham acupuncture, acupuncture may reduce procedural pain as measured by standardized pain scales (SMD -0.56), based on low-certainty evidence. Importantly, there appeared to be no significant increase in adverse events, although the data on harms were limited.
Acupuncture vs. Non-Pharmacological Treatments: Compared to widely used interventions like oral sucrose or glucose, the benefit of acupuncture was unclear, and the evidence was rated as very low certainty. Harms were again comparable between groups.
Acupuncture Types Compared: Two studies compared different forms of acupuncture (e.g., needle-based vs. massage-based). The results showed very uncertain effects on pain, suggesting no clear advantage of one method over another.
What Does This Mean for Practice?
While the idea of using acupuncture in newborns might seem novel, especially in high-tech NICU settings, this review suggests it may offer modest pain relief during procedures—particularly when no other interventions are used. However, the low and very low certainty of evidence across most comparisons highlights the need for caution.
Notably, the review did not identify any comparisons between acupuncture and pharmacological treatments, a gap that should be addressed in future trials. The four ongoing studies may provide additional clarity on its role in neonatal care.
Final Thoughts
Acupuncture is a promising, low-risk intervention that could become part of a multimodal pain management strategy for neonates. However, given the limited and uncertain evidence, routine use cannot yet be recommended. More rigorous trials are needed to determine how—and if—this ancient practice can improve outcomes for the tiniest and most vulnerable patients.
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