Liu Hejing, Xing Kehan, Liao Cai, Wang Jiapei, Tang Chenglin, Huang Siqin
College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China.
Front Med (Lausanne). 2025 Jun 18;12:1583898. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2025.1583898. eCollection 2025.
Postoperative pain and gastrointestinal dysfunction are common complications after cesarean section, significantly affecting maternal recovery and quality of life. Acupuncture has recently shown promise in alleviating postoperative pain and promoting the recovery of gastrointestinal function. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of acupuncture in relieving postoperative pain and improving gastrointestinal function after cesarean section via a meta-analysis.
A comprehensive search for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) examining acupuncture for post-cesarean pain and gastrointestinal function was conducted across multiple databases, covering literature up to 1 February 2025. Data analysis was conducted using Stata 15.
A total of 26 studies involving 2,641 patients were included. This meta-analysis evaluated the effects of acupuncture on postoperative pain, bowel sound recovery, and time to first flatus. The results demonstrated that acupuncture significantly reduced VAS at 6 h (SMD = -0.36, 95%CI [-0.65, -0.07]), 12 h (SMD = -1.23, 95%CI [-1.81, -0.64]), 24 h (SMD = -1.06, 95%CI [-1.56, -0.56]), and 48 h (SMD = -0.96, 95%CI [-1.76, -0.17]). Additionally, acupuncture significantly shortened bowel sound recovery time (SMD = -2.26, 95% CI [-2.97, -1.54]) and anal exhaust time (SMD = -2.41, 95% CI [-3.21, -1.61]). Subgroup analysis revealed that conventional acupuncture was effective across the majority of outcomes, while electroacupuncture showed comparatively weaker effects at certain time points. However, the presence of substantial heterogeneity (I values above 90%), along with variations in study quality and acupuncture protocols, could limit the accuracy and generalizability of the findings.
This meta-analysis suggests that acupuncture may effectively relieve pain and improve gastrointestinal function after cesarean section. The study's results showed significant improvements in pain scores and gastrointestinal recovery indicators, including bowel sound recovery time and anal exhaust time. However, the results should be interpreted with caution due to the high degree of heterogeneity and variability in study quality and acupuncture protocols. Further high-quality, large-scale RCTs are needed to validate these findings.
术后疼痛和胃肠功能障碍是剖宫产术后常见的并发症，显著影响产妇的恢复和生活质量。最近有研究表明，针灸在减轻术后疼痛和促进胃肠功能恢复方面具有一定前景。本研究旨在通过荟萃分析评估针灸缓解剖宫产术后疼痛和改善胃肠功能的有效性。
对多个数据库进行全面检索，以查找关于针灸用于剖宫产术后疼痛和胃肠功能的随机对照试验（RCT），检索涵盖截至2025年2月1日的文献。使用Stata 15进行数据分析。
共纳入26项研究，涉及2641例患者。本荟萃分析评估了针灸对术后疼痛、肠鸣音恢复及首次排气时间的影响。结果表明，针灸在术后6小时（标准化均数差[SMD]= -0.36，95%可信区间[-0.65, -0.07]）、12小时（SMD = -1.23，95%可信区间[-1.81, -0.64]）、24小时（SMD = -1.06，95%可信区间[-1.56, -0.56]）和48小时（SMD = -0.96，95%可信区间[-1.76, -0.17]）时显著降低视觉模拟评分（VAS）。此外，针灸显著缩短了肠鸣音恢复时间（SMD = -2.26，95%可信区间[-2.97, -1.54]）和肛门排气时间（SMD = -2.41，95%可信区间[-3.21, -1.61]）。亚组分析显示，传统针灸在大多数结局指标上有效，而电针在某些时间点效果相对较弱。然而，存在较大异质性（I值高于90%），以及研究质量和针灸方案的差异，可能会限制研究结果的准确性和可推广性。
本荟萃分析表明，针灸可能有效缓解剖宫产术后疼痛并改善胃肠功能。研究结果显示，疼痛评分以及胃肠恢复指标（包括肠鸣音恢复时间和肛门排气时间）有显著改善。然而，由于研究质量和针灸方案的高度异质性和变异性，对结果的解释应谨慎。需要进一步开展高质量、大规模的随机对照试验来验证这些发现。
