Acupressure Simply Explained

1. What It Is About

Acupressure belongs to Traditional Chinese Medicine, abbreviated TCM. It involves applying pressure to specific points on the body or ears using fingers, thumbs, or small tools. Unlike acupuncture, no needles are used—only pressure. According to TCM, a life energy called qi flows through the body; the points are intended to regulate this flow. The practice dates back to the Han Dynasty, but systematic research has only been conducted since the 20th century.

Acupressure is applied in three ways: self-application, by practitioners, or as ear acupressure. In ear acupressure, small seeds or pellets are attached to ear points and pressed; the ear is considered a microcosm of the body. Different schools, such as Shiatsu and Tuina, vary in technique and background. As a result, treatments differ from study to study: pressure intensity, duration, frequency, and selected points are not standardised.

2. What Research Shows

There is extensive human research on acupressure: 569 controlled trials and 172 observational studies have been evaluated. The clearest results are seen in people undergoing stressful treatments.

In 100 lung cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, ear acupressure was tested over nine weeks. One group received seeds at specific ear points, another magnetic pellets, and a third standard care. The seed group reported significantly less fatigue than the standard care group, and their sleep improved. Mental fatigue remained unchanged 5.

48 breast cancer patients received ear acupressure for five days in addition to medication. They experienced nausea and vomiting less frequently and less severely than the control group, both immediately after treatment and in the following days 11.

38 older adults with a femoral neck fracture were accompanied during transport in an ambulance. Half received pressure at three ear points for hip pain, the other at non-specific points. Upon arrival at the hospital, the first group reported less pain and anxiety, and their heart rate was lower 1.

A review of 13 studies with 806 participants found pain relief from ear treatments, most pronounced with ear acupressure 3. After surgery, another review of 13 studies looked at several kinds of acupuncture-point stimulation, not only ear acupressure, and showed reductions in both pain and analgesic use; no serious adverse events were reported 6. A review of sleep disorders analysed 15 studies with 1,381 participants; sleep duration and sleep efficiency—defined as the proportion of time in bed actually spent sleeping—improved 10. For chronic back pain, pain decreased within 12 weeks, but daily limitations did not change 9. Among 305 women undergoing in vitro fertilisation, the ear acupressure group reported less anxiety 7.

Regarding safety: reviews found no serious adverse effects. Reported issues were mainly mild pressure marks, skin irritation, and temporary pain 2.

3. What Remains Unclear

A challenge lies in control groups. For a manual procedure, defining an inactive treatment is difficult. Pressure at non-classical points can itself have an effect, for example through participant expectations. A review of such sham treatments found that they produced measurable effects in many studies 4, complicating evaluation.

Even the application itself is inconsistent: pressure intensity, duration, frequency, and point combinations vary widely, even for the same conditions. Comparisons between studies are therefore difficult. Long-term follow-ups and comparisons with established treatments are rare. Research on the immune system, inflammation, and metabolic diseases is still pending.

4. What This Means in Everyday Life

Acupressure is a procedure with many studies, and it was safe and well tolerated in the studies. The groups studied were mostly people with cancer, post-surgery, or experiencing pain and sleep problems. Improvements were observed, reported by participants themselves—such as less nausea, less fatigue, less anxiety, or better sleep.

Those interested will find three forms in the studies: self-application, treatment by therapists, and ear acupressure. How strong and how long pressure is applied is not standardised; precise details cannot be derived from the research.

Next, it would need to be clarified which points, pressure intensity, and duration are most effective for which conditions, and whether the observed improvements persist over weeks and months.

All details with study numbers and sources: detailed page on acupressure. For children: Acupressure for children.