Homeopathic arnica for prevention of @entity158 and XXXX : randomized placebo-controlled trial in hand surgery.

@entity1 @entity158 @entity923 @entity282 @entity2981 @entity130
Homeopathic arnica is widely believed to control @entity2981 , reduce swelling and promote recovery after local @entity130 ; many @entity1 therefore take it perioperatively. To determine whether this treatment has any effect, we conducted a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial with three parallel arms. 64 adults undergoing elective surgery for @entity923 were randomized to take three tablets daily of homeopathic arnica 30C or 6C or placebo for seven days before surgery and fourteen days after surgery. Primary outcome measures were @entity158 (short form McGill Pain Questionnaire) and @entity2981 (colour separation analysis) at four days after surgery. Secondary outcome measures were swelling (wrist circumference) and use of analgesic medication ( @entity1 diary). 62 @entity1 could be included in the intention-to-treat analysis. There were no group differences on the primary outcome measures of @entity158 (P=0.79) and @entity2981 (P=0.45) at day four. Swelling and use of analgesic medication also did not differ between arnica and placebo groups. Adverse events were reported by 2 @entity1 in the arnica 6C group, 3 in the placebo group and 4 in the arnica 30C group. The results of this trial do not suggest that homeopathic arnica has an advantage over placebo in reducing @entity282 , @entity2981 and swelling in @entity1 undergoing elective hand surgery.
