Reflexotherapy and auriculotherapy for acute lumbalgia in university teachers and students: A double-blind clinical trial

Abstract

Objective: to compare the effects of auriculotherapy and foot reflex therapy for nonspecific acute low back pain in university professors and students in the health area. Method: clinical trial, randomized, controlled, double-blind, with 189 participants divided into three groups: experimental auriculotherapy, experimental reflex therapy and combined therapy. Three interventions were performed. For data collection, the following were used: Sociodemographic Questionnaire; Visual and Analog Scale of intensity in pain assessment; and Low Back Pain Questionnaire. Data were analyzed using the IBM SPSS Statistics program, version 18.0. The following were applied: Kolmogorov-Smirnov normality test; Chi-square or Fisher's Exact tests for comparison between groups, and Analysis of variance with post hoc or Kruskal-Wallis, as appropriate. Results: there was a significant reduction in pain in the three protocols (p=<0.001) for the Low Back Pain Questionnaire, but when comparing the pain scale, there was less efficacy in the combined group (p=0.006). Conclusion: Both therapies are effective and indicated for the control of acute low back pain.