Research Progress of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Alleviating Postoperative Pain of Anal Diseases

Abstract

Postoperative pain of anal diseases has become a core challenge in the clinical management of anorectal surgery. This is attributed to dense nerve distribution at the surgical site and high susceptibility of wounds to irritation. Its pathogenesis is closely related to inflammatory response, neural sensitization and local microcirculation disturbance. Western medicine can achieve prominent short‑term analgesic effects, yet it is frequently accompanied by adverse reactions. Guided by the holistic concept of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), TCM analgesic therapies regulate qi, blood, yin and yang of the human body so as to improve patients’ postoperative quality of life. With merits of few adverse reactions and convenient operation, TCM has been widely adopted for postoperative pain and other complications of anal diseases in recent years. This paper reviews TCM interventions for postoperative pain of anal diseases, including oral medication, external therapies and acupuncture‑moxibustion. Limitations of existing studies are also analyzed, so as to provide references for standardized application and further research of TCM in managing perianal postoperative pain.