Immediate analgesic effect of cheek acupuncture vs etoricoxib for patients with acute gouty flare: a randomized controlled trial

Abstract Objective Given the paucity of effective therapies for pain relief of acute gouty flare (AGF), the immediate analgesic effect of cheek acupuncture was evaluated in patients with AGF. Methods This randomized controlled trial evaluated the immediate analgesic effect of cheek acupuncture (CA, intervention, n = 38) compared with etoricoxib (EC, control, n = 38). Visual Analogue Scoring (VAS) and the degree of pain relief were assessed before treatment, 0 min, 30 min, 1 h and 2 h after the start of treatment. Joint tenderness was assessed before and 2h after treatment. Patient’s feedback was collected 2h after treatment. Results Altogether, 76 persons received once treatment and completed the study. At 2 h after treatment, group CA exhibited significant decrease in VAS, the degree of pain relief, joint tenderness and better patient’s feedback when compared to group EC ( P < 0.001). Following intervention, the VAS scores in the CA group decreased rapidly, dropping to 4 (4, 5) at 0 minutes post-treatment and reaching a minimum of 2 (2.5, 3) at 1 hour, however, there was a mild increase in the VAS score to 2 (3, 4) at the 2-hour time point. In the EC group, the VAS score began to decrease at 1 hour post-treatment, dropping to 6 (6, 8), and was followed by a further decrease to 6 (5, 7) at the 2-hour mark. There were 2 adverse events occurred in group EC, while no adverse events were observed during the trial in group CA. Conclusions CA provides quick pain relief for gout sufferers. Compared to oral pain medication, it effectively eliminates the time lag between consultation and the medication’s onset of action, thus exhibiting a more significant advantage in improving the satisfaction of the consultation. Trial registration: Preregistered at Clinicaltrails.gov (https://register.clinicaltrials.gov) on 21 August 2023. Clinical trial number: NCT06001112.