Local adverse reactions commonly seen in Japanese-style medical acupuncture practice

Objectives: To explore further the incidence of local adverse reactions to acupuncture in individual patients.

Design: Reanalysis of our prospective survey.

Setting: Tsukuba College of Technology Clinic in Japan.

Outcome measures: Incidence of adverse reactions which were commonly seen in Japanese-style standard acupuncture practice.

Results: Minor bleeding was less than 15% (of insertions) in 96% of the patients (pt), and 20% or more in 1.5% of pt. Pain on insertion was less than 15% in 98% of pt, and more than 30% in 0.5% of pt. Subcutaneous bleeding was less than 10% in 97% of pt, and more than 30% in 0.3% of pt. Patients under 20 and female patients tended to express pain on insertion more frequently. Minor bleeding on the head region and the lateral forearm, pain on insertion to the back of the hand and the lower back, and subcutaneous bleeding on the front upper arm and the abdomen were more than twice as frequent as the average incidence.

Conclusion: A few patients had remarkable tendencies for bleeding or hyperalgesia. Each school which has its own model of practice should survey the type and incidence of adverse reactions.