The Effect of Auriculotherapy on Postpartum Pain in Newly Delivered Women: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Abstract

Background: Postpartum pain is a common condition during the puerperium and may adversely affect maternal recovery and the quality of newborn care. Therefore, the use of comple­mentary and noninvasive approaches for pain management is of clinical importance. This study aimed to determine the effect of auriculotherapy on the intensity of postpartum pain. Material & Methods: This randomized clinical trial enrolled 106 women with vaginal delivery at a selected hospital in Isfahan, Iran. Participants were selected through convenience sampling from among eligible women and were then randomly allocated into intervention (receiving auriculotherapy) and control groups using block randomization. Pain intensity was assessed using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) on the first and tenth days postpartum. Data were analyzed using independent-samples t-test and paired-samples t-test in SPSS version 26. Results: Based on the independent-samples t-test, the mean postpartum pain score on the first day after delivery showed no statistically significant difference between the intervention (2.87 ± 0.56) and control groups (3.25 ± 1.44) (t=-1.29, p=0.200). However, on the tenth day postpartum, pain intensity in the intervention group (1.64 ± 0.98) was significantly lower than that in the control group (3.11 ± 1.70) (t=-5.44, p < 0.001). Paired t-test results indicated a statistically significant reduction in pain scores from day 1 to day 10 in the intervention group (t=6.46, p<0.001), whereas no significant change was observed in the control group (t=0.644, p=0.523). Conclusion: Auriculotherapy appears to be an effective complementary, noninvasive interven­tion for achieving a gradual and sustained reduction in postpartum pain. © 2026, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved.