Ear Pressure Points Plus Pain Meds for Faster Kidney Stone Pain Relief

Summary

Title: Can Ear Acupressure Help Relieve Kidney Stone Pain Faster When Combined with Painkillers?

Purpose:

This study tests whether adding ear acupressure to standard painkillers (NSAIDs) helps adults with kidney stone pain feel better faster. The investigators also want to know if this combination causes any side effects.

Key Questions:

Does ear acupressure + NSAIDs reduce pain more quickly than NSAIDs alone? Are there any safety concerns with this treatment? How does real ear acupressure compare to a fake (placebo) procedure? Who Can Join? Adults aged 18-75 Experiencing moderate-to-severe kidney stone pain (confirmed by CT or ultrasound) No recent painkiller use or allergies to NSAIDs

What Participants Will Do:

Receive in the emergency room:

Real treatment: Tiny needles placed on 3 ear points + NSAIDs (ketorolac injection) OR Placebo treatment: Fake tape on ear points + NSAIDs (same injection) Rate their pain on a 0-10 scale over 60 minutes. Have their heart rate and blood pressure checked.

Study Details:

Duration: Single ER visit (no long-term follow-up) Participants Needed: 116 Safety: Rescue pain medication (like morphine) is available if needed.

Why This Matters:

Kidney stones cause severe pain, and current painkillers may not work fast enough. Ear acupressure is a low-risk method from traditional Chinese medicine that could provide quicker relief.

Ethics:

Approved by Changhai Hospital's Ethics Committee. Participants can leave the study anytime.

Conditions

• Renal Colic
• Acupuncture, Ear

Interventions

DRUG

Non-Steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS)

Intravenous infusion of 50 mg dexketoprofen trometamol injection

OTHER

Auricular Acupoint Embedding

Concurrently with the intravenous infusion of dexketoprofen trometamol, verum auricular acupoint embedding was performed using disposable sterile press needles at three ipsilateral ear points: thalamus (MA-AT), kidney (MA-SC), and shenmen (MA-TF1), with needle retention for 60 minutes

OTHER

Sham Acupoint Embedding

Concurrently with the intravenous infusion of dexketoprofen trometamol, sham auricular stimulation was administered using non-penetrating adhesive patches applied to three ipsilateral ear points: thalamus (MA-AT), kidney (MA-SC), and shenmen (MA-TF1), maintaining the application for 60 minutes.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Gao Xiaofeng

  lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

DOUBLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

75 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2025-06-01

Primary Completion

2026-06-01

Completion

2026-12-01

Countries

• China

Study Locations