Acupuncture in the Management of Lower Pain in Professionals at a Public Hospital Using Distal Points

Abstract

The in-hospital environment is a place susceptible to numerous risks, making its professionals vulnerable to the risk of accidents and physical and mental illness. The work process and the responsibilities that the hospital environment requires trigger responses in the body due to repetitive stress, leading these professionals to develop pathologies. Low back pain affects around 60 to 80% of workers of working age, being a public problem as it is an important cause of absence from work, leading to other problems that impact their social and economic life. Acupuncture is a complementary integrative practice much sought after for the treatment of pain, as it has local and systemic action, providing analgesia due to the release of neurotransmitters and hormones that release endogenous opioids, promoting pain relief. This practice is essential in the treatment of acute and chronic illnesses. Objective: to evaluate the use of distal points in the treatment of low back pain with systemic acupuncture in improving pain and quality of life of workers at a public hospital. Method: this is a before and after intervention study, using the distal points (R3, VB34, EC36 and C7), 15 workers from a university hospital participated. Results: At the first appointment, everyone reported feeling pain in the lower back, the average age was 25 years old, the shortest period of pain was three months and the longest was one year. The numerical value of pain showed that the average pain intensity in the first care was 5.7 and in the last intensive care was 1, generating a significant result (p>0.003). 60% of those treated had moderate pain in the first session and only two patients in the last. The number of people treated without pain in the last session increased by 60% and the number of participants with mild pain increased by 27%. When analyzing the seven domains of the SF36 instrument, the significant index general health (P=0.002) showed greater significance, in addition to the index of bodily pain (P=0.005) and physical function (P=0.016). Conclusion: The study showed an improvement in the intensity of low back pain using the distal points of systemic acupuncture, improving the limitations and pain experienced in everyday life, thus promoting a better quality of life.