Auricular acupuncture diagnosis for idiopathic chronic low back pain: L1 and L2 points

• Published in: Journal of acupuncture and tuina science Vol. 23; no. 2; pp. 159 - 163
• Main Authors: Fatiga, Giuseppe, De Giorgio, Damiano
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Singapore Springer Nature Singapore 01.04.2025; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Acupuncture; Back pain; Clinical Study; Medical diagnosis; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; R246.2; A; 耳针; 耳穴诊断; Heart of Posterior Surface; Low Back Pain; 耳穴, 腰骶椎; 耳穴, 髋; 耳穴, 耳背心; Hip; Otopoint AH; 疼痛测评; Lumbosacral Vertebrae; Auricular Acupoint Diagnosis; Otopoint P; 腰痛; Pain Measurement; Auricular Acupuncture
• ISSN: 1672-3597; 1993-0399
• DOI: 10.1007/s11726-025-1486-0

Objective To determine whether specific neuroreflex points exist on the auricles of subjects suffering from idiopathic chronic low back pain (icLBP). Methods Using the pressure pain test (PPT), we tested both auricles of 100 patients with icLBP [as low back pain (LBP) group] and those of 100 healthy subjects [as healthy control (HC) group]. Results The average number of painful points, in the 17, 18, and 19 sectors of ROMOLI M’s sectogram, and in the Lumbosacral Vertebrae (AH 9 ), Hip (AH 5 ), and Heart of Posterior Surface (P 1 ) areas according to the Chinese standardized paper, was significantly higher in the LBP group compared to the HC group ( P <0.05). In particular, in the LBP group, painful points could be clearly clustered into two main areas based on anatomy, which we called L 1 and L 2 . In all other areas and sectors of the auricle, the average number of painful points did not differ significantly between the two groups. In the LBP group, 94.7% of patients had at least one painful point in the two areas. Conclusion L 1 and L 2 are two specific points on the auricle that can reflect icLBP.