Effects of Auricular Acupressure on Pain and Stress in Nursing College Students With Cervical Pain: A Single-Blind Placebo-Controlled Trial.

Purpose: This study aimed to examine the effects of auricular acupressure (AA) on neck pain and stress in nursing students with neck pain.

Methods: This single-blind, randomized, and placebo-controlled comparative pretest-posttest study involved administering AA for four weeks. The subjects included nursing students experiencing neck pain. The experimental group comprised 17 subjects, and the control group comprised 14 subjects. In the experimental group, AA was applied to the Shenmen, cervical vertebrae, shoulder, and liver areas to improve neck pain and reduce stress. In the control group, AA was applied to the anus, rectum, urethra, and external genitalia areas, which are not associated with neck pain and stress. To assess the intervention effects, NRS (Numeric Rating Scale), NDI (Neck Disability Index), and PSS (Perceived Stress Scale) scores were measured.

Results: The NRS scores in the experimental group with AA significantly decreased over time (F = 7.463, p < .001). The between group and group-by-time interaction results were F = 8.564, p = .007 and F = 3.252, p = .025, respectively. The NDI scores in the experimental group showed a statistically significant difference between the groups (F = 13.762, p = .001); however, there were no significant differences over time or in the group-by-time interaction (F = 1.086, p = .347) (F = .301, p = .757). The PSS scores in the experimental group decreased significantly over time (F = 5.557, p = .013), but there were no significant differences between the groups (F = .636, p = .432) or in the group-by-time interaction (F = .063, p = .891).

Conclusion: AA applied for four weeks was found to be safe, noninvasive, and effective in reducing neck pain in nursing students with cervical pain.