Battlefield Acupuncture in Addition to Standard Physical Therapy after Shoulder Surgery: A Randomized Clinical Trial- APTA CSM 2025

m Crowell, e florkiewicz, j morris, j mason, w pitt, t benedict, k cameron, d goss

Abstract accepted for platform presentation at the 2025 American Physical Therapy Association Combined Sections Meeting- Houston, TX

Purpose/hypothesis: Shoulder instability is common in active young athletes and military personnel, often requiring shoulder stabilization surgery. Acute post-operative pain is usually managed with opioid pain medications, which have adverse effects that reduce military readiness. Battlefield Acupuncture (BFA) has demonstrated promise as a non-pharmaceutical intervention for acute post-operative pain. The purpose of this randomized clinical trial was to assess the effectiveness of BFA on post-surgical pain and opioid medication usage.