Thermographic outcomes of auricular laser acupuncture and auricular seed acupressure in older adults with chronic shoulder pain: an exploratory nonrandomized, nonconcurrent comparison.

In 30 seconds

This exploratory, open-label, nonrandomized comparison studied 20 adults aged 60–90 years with chronic shoulder pain, allocated by order of entry to auricular laser acupuncture or seed acupressure. Both interventions were given twice weekly for five weeks. Pain scores improved from baseline to the final assessment in both cohorts: VAS decreased by - 2.70 points with laser and - 2.50 with seed acupressure. The between-group difference was - 0.20 points (Laser - Seed; 95% CI - 2.54 to 2.14). Clinical outcomes improved over time, with no evidence of differential overall clinical change between interventions.

Key findings

• VAS decreased by - 2.70 points in Laser and - 2.50 in Seed from A1 to A3; the between-group difference was - 0.20 points (95% CI - 2.54 to 2.14).
• The McGill affective A1-to-A2 change differed between groups (Laser - Seed: -2.70; 95% CI - 4.86 to - 0.55; p = 0.017).
• Anterior thermal range showed a TIME × GROUP interaction (p = 0.007); the A1-to-A3 between-group difference was - 1.941 °C (Seed - Laser; 95% CI - 3.097 to - 0.785), with higher Seed values at baseline.
• Lateral thermal range showed a TIME effect (p = 0.033), while posterior thermal range showed none.

Why it matters

The findings suggest that pain and selected quality-of-life measures may improve over time with either auricular approach, while thermographic changes vary by shoulder region. The study also illustrates that temperature trajectories and clinical outcomes need not align. Thermography may warrant further study as a complementary assessment, but these exploratory results do not establish comparative effectiveness.

What to keep in mind

The study was small, nonrandomized, open-label, and used consecutive nonconcurrent cohorts, limiting causal and between-group conclusions.