Yin C, et al. - This study entailed an appraisal of the acupuncture approach for managing chronic pain conditions. It was deduced that acupuncture was effective, safe, and cost-effective for treating several chronic pain conditions when carried out by well-trained healthcare professionals. In order to comprehend its utility as an adjunct or alternative to opioids, and in perioperative settings, additional analysis was required.

• The increasing evidence pointed towards the effectiveness of acupuncture to treat chronic low back, neck, shoulder, and knee pain, along with headaches.
• The use of acupuncture could be found as an adjunct or alternative to opioids, and in perioperative settings.
• Its mechanisms of action comprised of transient receptor potential cation channel vanilloid 1 activation in the periphery, microglial suppression in the cerebral cortex and spinal cord, and regulation of cytokines and other key inflammatory factors in the spinal cord.
• Incremental integration of acupuncture into pain medicine practices and training programs were continuously on the rise.