Wrist-ankle acupuncture alleviates pain in the acute phase of herpes zoster: A randomized controlled trial

Pu J, Li D, Luo X, Wang J, Li Y, Lei L, Zhao X, Du H, Yang X, Du X · PLOS One · 2025 May 29

Objective

To investigate the effects of wrist-ankle acupuncture combined with standard pharmacological treatment on pain relief in the acute phase of herpes zoster.

Conclusions

Wrist-ankle acupuncture combined with standard pharmacological treatment showed a higher clinical cure rate of pain on day 7 after treatment began compared to standard pharmacological treatment alone, suggesting a potential new strategy for pain relief in acute herpes zoster.

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Insights

Wrist-ankle acupuncture in conjunction with standard pharmacological treatment may enhance acute phase pain relief in herpes zoster patients.

In an open-label, randomized, controlled clinical trial, patients in the acute phase of herpes zoster with significant pain were randomly assigned to two treatment groups. The control group was given standard pharmacological treatment which included antiviral therapy combined with pain relievers. The experimental group received wrist-ankle acupuncture in addition to the standard pharmacological treatment. The pain experienced by the participants was measured using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) on days 1-7 and on day 28 after the beginning of the treatment. The quality of life related to the patients' dermatological conditions was also assessed before treatment started and at the point of hospital discharge. The pain cure rates, or the rates of complete absence of pain, in the experimental group were found to be higher than that of the control group seven days after the treatment had begun. Lower pain VAS scores were seen in the experimental group on days 2-6 post-treatment. There was no notable difference between the two groups on day 7 and day 28 after the treatments started. The quality of life scores taken at the point of hospital discharge indicated a significant difference. The frequency of side effects was similar in both groups. The data suggests that adding wrist-ankle acupuncture to standard pharmacological treatment may enhance pain relief in acute phase herpes zoster patients.