Study Summary

One hundred forty-one patients with postoperative pain following knee arthroplasty (KA) were randomized to receive auricular acupressure, body acupressure, or routine care. The primary outcome of interest was pain severity measured using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and McGill Pain Questionnaire. Secondary outcomes included changes in pain over time across the first, second, and third postoperative days. Outcomes were assessed before the first intervention and immediately after the final intervention on each of the three days. Overall, the results of the study revealed that both auricular and body acupressure significantly reduced pain compared with routine care, with auricular acupressure demonstrating greater reductions in pain severity over time. These findings suggest that acupressure, particularly auricular acupressure, may be an effective complementary therapy for postoperative pain management following KA.