Safety of Acupuncture Interventions in Patients after Shoulder Surgery: A Systematic Review
Year: 2026
Type: review
Study design: Systematic Review
Abstract: Objectives The aim of this study was to systematically evaluate adverse events associated with acupuncture during postoperative rehabilitation after shoulder surgery.Methods We systematically searched eight databases for studies reporting adverse events associated with acupuncture in patients undergoing postoperative rehabilitation after shoulder surgery.Results A total of 15 studies were included, of which 8 reported adverse events.Overall, 114 events were considered possibly related to acupuncture and were all classified as mild or moderate.These included local pain, subcutaneous bleeding, and bruising, with a few cases of palpitations and drowsiness.The overall incidence was 1.8%.Subgroup analyses showed a higher incidence in proximal needling (4.5%) than in distal (0.3%) or combined needling (1.2%).In the phase-based analysis, adverse events occurred in the subacute phase (14%) and acute phase (0.3%), while no events were reported in the chronic phase.Conclusions Acupuncture during postoperative rehabilitation after shoulder surgery appears to be relatively safe, with mostly mild adverse events and no serious adverse events reported.(J Korean Med Rehabil 2026;36(2):37-52)
Authors: Jeong Yoon Park, Eun Jung Lee
Institution: Daejeon University
Language: English
Subfield: Complementary and alternative medicine
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7160530381
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