{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,11,6]],"date-time":"2026-11-06T14:42:41Z","timestamp":1793976161320,"version":"4.8.0"},"reference-count":34,"publisher":"BMJ","issue":"4","funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100004048","name":"Kashan University of Medical Sciences","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["97207"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["97207"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100004048","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["bmj.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["BMJ Support Palliat Care"],"accepted":{"date-parts":[[2025,2,1]]},"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2025,7]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title>Introduction<\/jats:title><jats:p>Considering the importance of chronic low back pain in disability in older adults, the present study aimed to investigate the effect of auriculotherapy on pain intensity and functional disability in this group.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Materials and methods<\/jats:title><jats:p>This single-blind clinical trial was conducted on older adults with chronic low back pain in Kashan, Iran, 2019\u20132020. Seventy eligible older people were allocated to the intervention and sham groups via block randomisation. In the intervention group, pressure was applied using Varcaria seeds on the Shenmen, sympathetic, nerve subcortex and low back points. The visual analogue scale was completed at the beginning (T0), weekly (T1\u2013T4) and 1\u2009month after intervention (T5). Functional disability was assessed using Oswestry Disability Index at T0, T4 and T5. Data were analysed in per-protocol and intention-to-treat designs using repeated measures analysis of variance and analysis of covariance.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results<\/jats:title><jats:p>There was a significant difference between the two groups regarding disease duration (p=0.012). The interaction effect of time and intervention was significant on pain intensity and functional disability (effect size (ES)=0.858\u2009and ES=0.789, p&lt;0.0001). The pain intensity in the intervention group was significantly lower than in the sham group at T2\u2013T5 (p&lt;0.0001). The functional disability score in the intervention group was significantly lower than in the sham group at T4 and T5 (p&lt;0.0001).<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title><jats:p>Auriculotherapy can reduce pain intensity and functional disability in older adults with chronic low back pain; it can be used as a complementary medicine in care programmes for older adults with chronic low back pain.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1136\/spcare-2024-005170","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,2,18]],"date-time":"2025-02-18T18:20:52Z","timestamp":1739902852000},"page":"480-490","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1136\/crossmarkpolicy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":4,"title":["Auriculotherapy and pain intensity and functional disability in older adults with chronic low back pain: randomised single-blind clinical trial"],"prefix":"10.1136","volume":"15","author":[{"given":"Maryam","family":"Pourmohammadi","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Zahra","family":"Tagharrobi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Khadijeh","family":"Sharifi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Zahra","family":"Sooki","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0758-4331","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mohammad","family":"Zare","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Fatemeh","family":"Zare Joshaghani","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"239","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,2,18]]},"reference":[{"key":"2025062705050661000_15.4.480.1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jpain.2016.10.021"},{"key":"2025062705050661000_15.4.480.2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.6061\/clinics\/2019\/e789","article-title":"Prevalence of low back pain in the elderly population: a systematic review","volume":"74","author":"de Souza","year":"2019","journal-title":"Clinics (Sao Paulo)"},{"key":"2025062705050661000_15.4.480.3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jpain.2021.07.012"},{"key":"2025062705050661000_15.4.480.4","article-title":"Prevalence and predictors of low back pain among the Iranian population: Results from the Persian cohort study","volume":"74","author":"Ghafouri","year":"2022","journal-title":"Ann Med Surg (Lond)"},{"key":"2025062705050661000_15.4.480.5","first-page":"62","article-title":"Prevalence of chronic pain and its characteristics among elderly people in Ahvaz city: A cross sectional study","volume":"2","author":"Shirazi","year":"2015","journal-title":"Journal of Geriatric Nursing"},{"key":"2025062705050661000_15.4.480.6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Low back pain in elderly from Bel\u00e9m-Pa, Brazil: prevalence and association with functional disability. 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