Abstract:Objective To observe the clinical effect of acupuncture combined with external application of traditional Chinese medicine on acute mastitis during lactation. Methods A total of 120 patients with lactation acute mastitis admitted to Tangshan Maternal and Child Health Hospital from January to October 2023 were selected. Subjects were divided into treatment group (62 cases, admitted from June to October 2023) and control group (58 cases, admitted from January to May 2023) according to the order of visits. The control group was treated with external application of traditional Chinese medicine, and the treatment group was treated with acupuncture on the basis of the control group. Clinical efficacy, scores of local breast conditions (breast mass, milk secretion, breast tenderness) and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels before and after treatment were observed in the two groups. The time for body temperature to return to normal, the time for breast swelling and pain to disappear, the time for milk clearing and the time for tumor to disappear were analyzed. Results Compared with the control group, the total response rate was higher in the treatment group (96.77% vs 82.76%, χ2=6.541, P＜0.05). After treatment, the scores of breast mass, milk secretion, breast tenderness and other symptoms in the two groups were lower than before treatment (P＜0.05), and the scores of the above indicators after treatment in treatment group were lower than those in the control group (P＜0.05). After treatment, the serum CRP level in the treatment group was significantly lower than that in the pre-treatment and control groups, with statistical significances (P<0.05). The time of body temperature return to normal, the time of breast swelling pain disappearance, the time of milk clearing and the time of mass disappearance in the treatment group were shorter than those in the control group (P＜0.05). Conclusion Acupuncture combined with external application of traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of lactation acute mastitis is effective, can improve the clinical symptoms of patients, reduce the degree of inflammation, and shorten the recovery time.