Real auriculotherapy + standard medical care

Sham auriculotherapy + standard medical care

surgery / procedures : Outpatient surgery (thumb osteoarthritis). On the day of the procedure, the patient arrives on an outpatient basis, is positioned on a stretcher, and is then taken to the pre-anesthesia room where regional anesthesia is performed. The block is carried out under ultrasound guidance following a standardized protocol.

The patient is then transferred to the operating room, where the tourniquet is applied. The surgical technique is endoscopic, following the AGEE method. At the end of the procedure, the surgeon places two or three absorbable sutures (4/0 or 5/0) on the thinnest areas of skin. The sutures are then covered with a dressing.

The Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) is a validated, unidimensional tool used to assess pain intensity. Patients are asked to rate their pain by selecting a number that best reflects its severity.

Valeur minimale :

0 - corresponds to "no pain".

Valeur maximale :

10 - corresponds to "the worst pain imaginable".

Interprétation générale :

0 : No pain

1-3 : Mild pain

4-6 : Moderate pain

7-10 : Severe pain

The DN4 questionnaire is a validated diagnostic instrument designed to differentiate neuropathic pain from nociceptive pain. It comprises 10 items, including 7 symptom-based descriptors (e.g., burning, painful cold, electric shocks, tingling, pins and needles, numbness, itching) and 3 clinical examination findings (hypoesthesia to touch, hypoesthesia to pinprick, and pain provoked by brushing).

Minimum score:

0, indicating the absence of neuropathic pain features.

Maximum score:

10, indicating the presence of all evaluated neuropathic characteristics.

Interpretation:

A score ≥ 4 is considered the diagnostic threshold and is associated with a high probability of neuropathic pain, based on the tool's validated sensitivity and specificity. Scores < 4 suggest that neuropathic pain is unlikely.