Effectiveness of Acupressure in Reducing Postoperative Pain and Anxiety

Abstract

Postoperative pain and anxiety are common challenges that can interfere with recovery, sleep, mobility, patient satisfaction, and overall well-being. Although pharmacological analgesia and standard perioperative care remain central to postoperative management, interest has increased in complementary non-pharmacological interventions. Acupressure is a non-invasive technique involving manual stimulation of selected points and has been studied for postoperative pain, anxiety, nausea, and recovery-related outcomes. This paper reviews the effectiveness of acupressure in reducing postoperative pain and anxiety, with attention to proposed mechanisms, commonly used approaches, evidence from clinical trials and systematic reviews, practical considerations, safety, and research limitations. Evidence suggests that acupressure, particularly auricular acupressure, may reduce acute postoperative pain in selected populations. Meta-analytic evidence also indicates meaningful reductions in anxiety, including among adults awaiting elective surgery. However, findings are heterogeneous, and not every postoperative randomized trial has demonstrated significant improvements in pain or overall recovery. Acupressure should therefore be considered an adjunct to, rather than a replacement for, appropriate analgesia, monitoring, and clinical care. Further well-designed trials using standardized protocols and clinically meaningful outcomes are needed.