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Final Program


Final Program

806 - Acupuncture as an Adjunctive Treatment for Anxiety and Sleep Disturbances in an Addiction Patient: A Case Report

Friday, February 28, 2025
5:00 PM - 6:30 PM MST

    Presenting Author(s)

  • SS

    Sohil D. Sheth, BS

    Student Doctor
    Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine Virginia
    Roanoke, Virginia, United States

    • Co-Author(s)

  • AB

    Abigail E. Brown, MS

    OMS-IV
    WVSOM
    LEWISBURG, West Virginia, United States

  • SJ

    Sunil K. Jain, MD

    Medical Director
    Carilion Clinic
    Roanoke, Virginia, United States

Case Diagnosis: A 34-year-old male with a history of addiction was diagnosed with osteomyelitis of the spine requiring IV antibiotics and CT-spine fusion. Postoperatively, the patient experienced uncontrolled pain, along with anxiety and sleep disturbances.

Case Description: The patient was managed with a multimodal pain regimen, including gabapentin, methadone, tizanidine, and liquid hydrocodone-acetaminophen. Despite moderate pain control, the patient continued to report significant anxiety and difficulty sleeping. The inpatient pain service introduced acupuncture as an adjunctive therapy. Acupuncture beads were placed in three auricular locations bilaterally, targeting the cingulate gyrus, thalamus, and shenmen, aiming to alleviate anxiety and improve sleep. The patient reported improved relaxation and sleep following the treatment. Subsequently, the NADA protocol was performed bilaterally with pyonex needles, resulting in immediate relaxation.

Discussions:

This case demonstrates the potential of acupuncture as an effective adjunctive therapy in managing anxiety and sleep disturbances in patients with complex pain and addiction histories. The use of auricular acupuncture, particularly targeting the cingulate gyrus, thalamus, and shenmen, provided immediate relief, suggesting a valuable role for acupuncture in the comprehensive management of pain and associated symptoms in addiction patients.

Conclusions:

Acupuncture may serve as a beneficial complementary therapy for managing anxiety and sleep disturbances in patients with complex postoperative pain and a history of addiction. Further studies are warranted to explore the efficacy and mechanisms of acupuncture in this patient population.