Quantitative sensory testing in patients with chronic neck pain before and after the application of the acupressure pad—A randomized, controlled pilot study

In the treatment of chronic neck pain alternative and complementary therapies receive increasing attention. One device based on the principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine is the Acupressure Pad. The pad with more than 1000 plastic needles is applied by the patient on the painful part of the body. Its supposed mode of action is thought to be similar to acupuncture or acupressure. It is likely that the pad yields its analgesic effect through direct mechanical stimulation of nociceptors which might affect the transmission and processing of sensory information on the spinal level, which likely will induce measureable changes in mechanical pain and perception thresholds. Therefore we investigated whether a 2-week application of the pad leads to changes in neck pain and sensory thresholds.