Evidence-Based Acupressure: Current Scientific Understanding, Clinical Effectiveness, Safety and Research Gaps

Abstract

Acupressure is a traditional therapeutic practice that involves the application of manual pressure to specific points of the body and is increasingly being investigated as a complementary intervention within contemporary healthcare. Unlike acupuncture, which generally involves needle insertion, acupressure is non-invasive and can potentially be administered by trained practitioners or, in selected contexts, through self-care techniques and pressure-based devices. Growing interest in integrative medicine has stimulated research into its potential effects on pain, anxiety, sleep disturbances, nausea and vomiting, headaches, and other symptoms. This review examines the current scientific understanding of acupressure, with particular attention to proposed physiological and neurobiological mechanisms, clinical effectiveness, safety, and important limitations in the existing evidence base. Current research suggests that acupressure may provide beneficial effects for selected symptoms, particularly nausea and vomiting, pain-related outcomes, anxiety, and sleep quality, although the magnitude and reliability of effects vary considerably across conditions and studies. Proposed mechanisms include stimulation of peripheral sensory receptors, modulation of autonomic activity, endogenous pain-control pathways, neurochemical responses, and changes in stress-related physiological processes. However, interpretation of the evidence is complicated by methodological limitations, including small sample sizes, inconsistent intervention protocols, variation in pressure techniques and treatment duration, inadequate blinding, heterogeneous control groups, and differences in outcome assessmentMore rigorous research may clarify where acupressure can be appropriately integrated into modern healthcare and which patient populations are most likely to benefit.