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Application of auricular therapy in postherpetic neuralgia: a scoping review
Xiaoyang Wang1, Hejia Wan1, Xiaohui Liu1,2
1School of Nursing (Nursing School of Smart Healthcare Industry), Henan University of Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou, Henan, China.
Objective:
To conduct a scoping review on the application of auricular therapy in treating postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), comprehensively examining the current clinical status, efficacy, and potential mechanisms of different auricular therapy modalities, while identifying gaps and limitations in existing research to inform further exploration of auricular therapy for PHN.
Methods:
Following the Arksey and O'Malley scoping review framework, we searched Chinese full-text journal databases (CNKI), Wanfang Database, VIP Database, SinoMed, PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Embase. The search period spanned from database inception to August 2025. Included studies were analyzed and summarized.
Results:
A total of 32 studies were included, with randomized controlled trials being the predominant study type (n = 23). Diverse auricular therapy modalities for treating PHN were employed, including auricular seed therapy (bean implantation), auricular acupuncture (fine needles or taper needles), auricular bloodletting, auricular massage, and transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS). Intervention strategies can be categorized into three aspects: point selection, stimulation parameters, and intervention cycles. Core points selected include Shenmen, Subcortical, Sympathetic, and Liver. Stimulation parameters and intervention cycles showed significant heterogeneity, with patch replacement cycles typically ranging from 2 to 7 days and total treatment durations mostly spanning 2 to 4 weeks. Primary outcome measures primarily involved clinical efficacy, pain intensity, and adverse reactions, while a few studies also addressed sleep quality, emotional state, and immune-inflammatory markers.
Conclusion:
Auricular therapy represents a significant adjunctive approach for pain management in PHN patients. Existing research faces limitations in intervention protocol standardization, objective validation of mechanisms, and long-term efficacy assessment. Future studies should focus on precise point selection, standardized stimulation parameters, and multidimensional objective outcome measures.
Systematic Review Registration:
DOI: 10.17605/OSF.IO/J4BS2.
