Homeopathic Arnica montana for post-tonsillectomy analgesia: a randomised placebo control trial

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of Homeopathic Arnica in reducing the morbidity following tonsillectomy Methods: Randomised double blind, placebo controlled trial at a tertiary referral centre. 190 patients over the age of 18 undergoing tonsillectomy were randomised into intervention and control groups receiving either Arnica 30c or identical placebo, 2 tablets 6 times in the first post-operative day and then 2 tablets twice a day for the next 7 days. The primary outcome measure was the change in pain scores (visual analogue scale) recorded by the patient on a questionnaire over 14 days post-operatively; Secondary outcome measures were: analgesia consumption, visits to the GP or hospital, antibiotic usage, the day on which their swallowing returned to normal and the day on which they returned to work. Results: 111 (58.4%) completed questionnaires were available for analysis. The Arnica group had a significantly larger drop in pain score from day 1 to day 14 (28.3) compared to the placebo group (23.8) with p<0.05. The two groups did not differ significantly on analgesic consumption or any of the other secondary outcome measures (number of postoperative visits to GP, use of antibiotics and secondary haemorrhage readmissions). Conclusion: The results of this trial suggest that Arnica montana given after tonsillectomy provides a small, but statistically significant, decrease in pain scores compared to placebo.