Acupuncture has been used in the treatment of wounds, but there are few experimental or clinical studies in the veterinary literature of wound treatment with acupuncture. In an experimental burn wound study of mice, two needles were inserted around the burn wound daily for 30 minutes (similar to the “circle the dragon” wound treatment used in acupuncture) for 14 days. Wound healing was monitored and compared to wound healing associated with the use of a conventional collagen wound dressing. Acupuncture significantly reduced the inflammatory response, wound size and increased the local expression of extracellular matrix proteins similar to the collagen dressing. In a clinical study of closed surgical incisions, two local points at each end of the incision and other acupoints were stimulated once post-operatively and had no subjective effects on incision healing. Most veterinary acupuncturists treating wounds would do multiple treatments and usually treat more acupoints. In an equine case series, local and acupoint stimulation with gold bead implantation resulted in healing of difficult to heal wounds on the distal limbs. Well-designed, controlled studies of acupuncture for different wound types are needed. Acupuncture is often less expensive than surgery, requires less specialized equipment and can be used safely with other treatment techniques. Inserting acupuncture needles in the region around the wound moves Qi and Blood in the region to minimize Qi/Blood Stagnation in acute wounds or relieve long-term Stagnation in chronic wounds. Further investigation is warranted to clarify the benefits and mechanisms of action of acupuncture for wound healing.
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