Electroacupuncture for Postherpetic Neuralgia in a Multicenter Trial

Key Takeaways

• Greater pain reduction was reported with electroacupuncture added to drug therapy than with sham electroacupuncture plus the same regimen.
• The trial was multicenter, randomized, controlled, and assessor-blinded across six hospitals in China.
• Treatment involved ten sessions over four weeks with follow-up through 8 weeks, and adverse events were rare, most often bruising or transient needle-site soreness.

A 2026 multicenter Chinese randomized clinical trial reported greater pain reduction when electroacupuncture was added to standard drug therapy for postherpetic neuralgia than when sham electroacupuncture was added to the same regimen. Conducted across six hospitals in China, the trial compared electroacupuncture as an add-on within standard drug therapy rather than as a standalone treatment.

Patients with postherpetic neuralgia were assigned to electroacupuncture plus standard drug therapy or to sham electroacupuncture with the same medications. The study was characterized as multicenter, randomized, controlled, and assessor-blinded, with both groups remaining on routine pharmacologic care.

The treatment course consisted of ten sessions over four weeks, with assessments at weeks 2, 4, and 6 and at an 8-week follow-up. Patients were awake during sessions and could notice mild tapping or pulsing around the needles. In the report, the procedure was delivered in hospital pain-clinic outpatient settings.

Adverse events were rare, and the most commonly mentioned effects were occasional bruising or transient soreness at the needle site.