Auricular Point Acupressure for Chronic Pain

Abstract

This 1-group, 4-week observational study aimed to (1) assess the feasibility of recruiting, retention, and completion of a 4-week auricular point acupressure (APA) treatment protocol for chronic pain in adult patients and (2) assess the effects of APA in pain reduction (pain severity and pain interference) among these patients. The participants received a 4-week APA treatment protocol in weekly cycles. Each weekly cycle included 5 days with APA seeds taped onto the ear and 2 days without. Each participant was called every day to monitor adherence to the treatment protocol (the actual times the participant pressed the seeds each day and the duration of applied pressure), to answer analgesic use, and to answer the pain intensity questionnaire. Thirty participants were initially enrolled in this study, but 5 did not continue. The retention rate was 83% (n = 25). Approximately 60% of the participants (n = 15) adhered to the 4-week APA and completed all data assessments. At baseline assessment, only 40% of all participants (n = 12 of 30) were confident that APA would reduce and eliminate pain; nonetheless, all participants reported fewer episodes of pain occurrences and pain intensity with the APA treatment. For the participants who completed the 4-week APA protocol (n = 15), 96% (n = 14) decreased analgesic medication intake and 88% (n = 13) felt "much better" after the APA treatment. Participants reported an average reduction of 63% in the worst pain intensity at day 7. By the end of the 4-week APA protocol, an even greater reduction in pain intensity was reported (66%, n = 10, at day 28). The participants who did not complete the treatment protocol reported an average pain reduction of 29%, which fluctuated to 22% before they dropped out. Auricular point acupressure is feasible for patients with chronic pain. The preliminary findings of this feasibility study show a reduction in pain intensity and improvement in physical function, which demonstrate the potential for APA as a treatment option for patients with chronic pain.

The History, Mechanism, and Clinical Application of Auricular Therapy in Traditional Chinese Medicine

“…Sator-Katzenschlager et al (2004) obtained similar findings for auricular EA [ 50 ]. Yeh et al (2014) found an average reduction of 63% in pain intensity at Day 7 in the 27 participants who completed the 4-week treatment [ 51 ].…”

Auricular acupressure for cancer-related fatigue during lung cancer chemotherapy: a randomised trial

“…AA is inexpensive, easily taught and implemented and has been successfully used to manage chronic pain and chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting 10 11. However, the effects of AA on CRF remains unknown.…”

Auricular Point Acupressure Smartphone Application to Manage Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain: A Longitudinal, One-Group, Open Pilot Trial

“…We have plenty of supporting evidence on the efficacy of APA to self-manage pain. [53][54][55][56][57][58][59][60][61][62][63][64][65] Comparing APA to sham (placebo) APA, our studies demonstrated: (1) rapid and sustained significant effect: APA resulted in 38% rapid pain relief among participants at three minutes post-APA; 66,67 >44% pain relief and >28% improved physical function at follow-up after a 4-week APA treatment; [53][54][55][56][57][58][59] (2) reduction of medication use: After 4 weeks of APA, 60% of participants reported less use of pain medications 54,63 ; and (3) significant impact on physiological measures: APA controls pain through blocking pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1b, IL-2) [60][61][62] and modulating nerve sensitivity. 62 No adverse effects from APA have been reported.…”

“…68,69 Despite the long use of traditional Chinese Medicine in Asia and Europe, APA is relatively new in the U.S. and has not been widely used, made available, or researched as extensively as other pain treatments. From our multiple studies, [53][54][55][56][57][58][59][60][61][62][63][64][65] we received an overwhelming number of requests from former study participants for further APA treatment, and they expressed their desire to incorporate APA into their pain self-management plans. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to develop a smartphone application (app) to help increase the use of and access to APA and then evaluate the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of this APA smartphone app.…”