Acupuncture: An Alternative for Pain Management

Protecting your health and upholding the values of your military career are critical to ensuring you are ready to serve effectively – both mentally and physically. Over time, years of service and the demands of military training and duty can take a toll, often resulting in pain. Managing that pain effectively is key to staying mission ready. Knowing your options, like acupuncture, can help you avoid serious risks linked to prescription drug misuse.

If you’re dealing with chronic pain, your healthcare provider may prescribe a variety of treatments to help you manage it, including medication. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a set of guidelines for health care providers to carefully review prescription of medications, like opioids, to reduce the risks associated with opioid use. Along with medication, there are other treatments that can be used to support pain management.

Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese medical practice that has become popular worldwide. It involves placing thin needles into the skin to target nerves, muscles and tissues. This is done to help relieve pain, tension and stress. Acupuncture is based on the idea that it can balance the body’s energy pathways (called ‘meridians’) to improve health. The benefits are thought to come from the needles affecting nerve cells and their internal components. Pain management is sometimes treated with the use of prescription drugs such as opioids that can increase the risk of addiction and overdose deaths. Acupuncture can be a supplemental treatment for pain throughout the body that does not carry the risk of these serious side effects.

Prescription Opioids

Opioids are natural or man-made chemicals that attach to specific areas in your brain or body to lessen the strength of pain signals that reach your brain. Doctors may prescribe opioid medications to help control and treat moderate to severe pain. While opioids can be useful to treat pain when used correctly, the misuse of opioids can lead to serious risks such as addiction, unintentional overdose or death.

Facts About Opioid Use

Fatal Overdose Rates: According to the Department of Defense (DoD), between 2019 and 2023, the fatal overdose rate among active-duty service members averaged approximately 4.4 per 100,000, significantly lower than the national average of 29.2 per 100,000.
The Military Health System (MHS) has implemented initiatives to reduce opioid prescriptions. From April 2017 to July 2021, there was a 69% decline in high-dose opioid prescriptions (≥50 morphine milligram equivalents per day) among active-duty service members.
According to a health-related behaviors survey, just over 4% of active-duty service members reported misusing one or more prescription drug types in the past year.
In 2023, nearly 8.6 million Americans 12 years and older reported misusing prescription opioids in the past year.
From 1999 to 2022, approximately 294,000 people died from overdoses involving prescription opioids.
Of those who reported misuse of prescription pain relievers in 2023, more than two thirds reported misusing them to relieve physical pain, and more than a quarter obtained their pain reliever from a friend or relative.

Popular forms of Opioids

Oxycodone
Fentanyl
Morphine
Codeine

According to DHA data, service members are not immune to these risks, and proactive pain management strategies are essential to remaining fit for duty.

Acupuncture as a Pain Management Technique

Acupuncture-point stimulation (APS) has been shown to reduce patient pain scores and total morphine consumption. Acupuncture works by inserting fine needles into the skin to stimulate nerves, muscles and connective tissues. Sometimes the needles are moved around manually, but other times the needle is stimulated with a small electrical current.

While acupuncture is most commonly used to address physical pain, it may also offer indirect benefits for emotional stress by promoting relaxation and reducing tension. However, within the DoD medical system, its primary use remains focused on physical conditions.

Pain management in the military isn’t a on-size fits all. While acupuncture is one option, service members may also benefit from a range of complementary approaches including physical therapy, behavioral health support, quality sleep, proper nutrition, mindfulness practices, and spiritual support. These strategies can be used alone or in combination, depending on individual needs and care team recommendations.

Is Acupuncture Safe?

Acupuncture is generally considered safe. However, if performed incorrectly, patients may be at risk of serious side effects such as infections, punctured organs and injury to the central nervous system. Always consult a licensed healthcare professional before seeking treatment.

Is Acupuncture Covered by Health Insurance?

TRICARE currently does not cover acupuncture services, but the Military Health System encourages non-drug pain management strategies when appropriate. Learn more about pain management through TRICARE’s official page on pain management.
Acupuncture is one of the complementary and integrative health (CIH) approaches within the VHA Whole Health System of care included in VA Directive 1137 allowing acupuncture care to be covered by the Veteran’s medical benefits package, when clinically necessary, as determined by the patient’s care team.
Consult your healthcare provider to determine if acupuncture is covered to treat your health condition.

Taking proactive steps to manage pain safely not only protects your health but ensures you are always ready to serve and execute the mission. Explore safer pain management strategies, starting with a conversation with your healthcare provider today to see if acupuncture could be a helpful addition to your pain management plan. Protect your health. Protect your career.