Big question, hope I do it justice.
First of all, regarding acupuncture, there’s no question it’s for real, but not something I’m trained in.
Use of general anesthesia vs regional anesthesia (which includes any anesthetic utilizing local anesthetic) is decided based on a number of factors: patient preference, anesthesiologist preference, patient preference, surgical site to name a few. Regional anesthesia can be neuraxial (injection in and around the spine) or nerve block (targeting specific nerves).
Nerve blocks can be used in extremity surgery, but can be limited as they are not always able to achieve “surgical anesthesia” (enough numbness for a painless operation) and so often are used as an adjunct for postoperative pain control in conjunction with a lighter degree of general anesthesia.
Neuraxial (spinal and epidural) anesthesia is widely used for a number of surgeries. These are most commonly c-section, lower abdominal like hysterectomy, and any lower extremity surgery.
At our hospital we utilize regional anesthesia whenever practical. Our surgeons like it and it is well accepted by the patients.
It in no way impairs tissue healing, btw.
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