Auriculotherapy for pain management: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: Side-effects of standard pain medications can limit their use. Therefore,
nonpharmacologic pain relief techniques such as auriculotherapy may play an important
role in pain management. Our aim was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis
of studies evaluating auriculotherapy for pain management. DESIGN: MEDLINE,(®) ISI
Web of Science, CINAHL, AMED, and Cochrane Library were searched through December
2008. Randomized trials comparing auriculotherapy to sham, placebo, or standard-of-care
control were included that measured outcomes of pain or medication use and were published
in English. Two (2) reviewers independently assessed trial eligibility, quality, and
abstracted data to a standardized form. Standardized mean differences (SMD) were calculated
for studies using a pain score or analgesic requirement as a primary outcome. RESULTS:
Seventeen (17) studies met inclusion criteria (8 perioperative, 4 acute, and 5 chronic
pain). Auriculotherapy was superior to controls for studies evaluating pain intensity
(SMD, 1.56 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.85, 2.26]; 8 studies). For perioperative
pain, auriculotherapy reduced analgesic use (SMD, 0.54 [95% CI: 0.30, 0.77]; 5 studies).
For acute pain and chronic pain, auriculotherapy reduced pain intensity (SMD for acute
pain, 1.35 [95% CI: 0.08, 2.64], 2 studies; SMD for chronic pain, 1.84 [95% CI: 0.60,
3.07], 5 studies). Removal of poor quality studies did not alter the conclusions.
Significant heterogeneity existed among studies of acute and chronic pain, but not
perioperative pain. CONCLUSIONS: Auriculotherapy may be effective for the treatment
of a variety of types of pain, especially postoperative pain. However, a more accurate
estimate of the effect will require further large, well-designed trials.
Type
Journal articleSubject
Acupuncture, EarAnalgesia
Humans
Pain Management
Pain Measurement
Perioperative Period
Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
Permalink
https://hdl.handle.net/10161/3234Published Version (Please cite this version)
10.1089/acm.2009.0451Publication Info
Asher, Gary N; Jonas, Daniel E; Coeytaux, Remy R; Reilly, Aimee C; Loh, Yen L; Motsinger-Reif,
Alison A; & Winham, Stacey J (2010). Auriculotherapy for pain management: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized
controlled trials. J Altern Complement Med, 16(10). pp. 1097-1108. 10.1089/acm.2009.0451. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/3234.This is constructed from limited available data and may be imprecise. To cite this
article, please review & use the official citation provided by the journal.
Collections
More Info
Show full item recordScholars@Duke
Remy Rene Coeytaux
Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health

Articles written by Duke faculty are made available through the campus open access policy. For more information see: Duke Open Access Policy
Rights for Collection: Scholarly Articles
Works are deposited here by their authors, and represent their research and opinions, not that of Duke University. Some materials and descriptions may include offensive content. More info