Clinical Effectiveness of Trigger Point Acupuncture on Chronic Neck and Shoulder Pain (Katakori) with Work Productivity Loss in Office Workers: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Objectives: To evaluate whether trigger point acupuncture (TrPA) is beneficial for office workers who have reduced job performance (presenteeism) due to chronic neck and shoulder pain (katakori). Methods: A 4-week single-center randomized controlled trial was conducted on eligible 20 female office workers with chronic neck and shoulder pain for at least three months. The control group only implemented workplace-recommended presenteeism measures, whereas the intervention group received TrPA up to four times per month in addition to the presenteeism measures recommended by each workplace. The major outcome measure was the relative presenteeism score on the World Health Organization Health and Work Performance (WHO-HPQ). The secondary outcome measures were pain intensity (NRS), absolute presenteeism (WHO-HPQ), anxiety and depression (HADS), catastrophic thoughts related to pain (PCS), and sleep (AIS). Results: All nine cases in the intervention group and 11 cases in the control group were analyzed. TrPA up to four times per month reduced the intensity of neck and shoulder pain by 20% (p < 0.01, d = 1.65) and improved labor productivity (relative presenteeism value) by 0.25 (p < 0.01, d = 1.33) compared with the control group over one month. No significant differences were observed between the two groups in terms of absolute presenteeism score, HADS, PCS, or AIS. Conclusions: These results suggest that regular intervention with TrPA may be effective in the relative presenteeism score before and after the intervention and the degree of neck and shoulder pain over 28 days compared with the control group.