Can self-administered acupressure reduce fatigue, pain, sleep problems, and disability in individuals with chronic low back pain (CLBP)?

Pain Med · 2019 · PMID 31237610 · DOI 10.1093/pm/pnz138

Plain-English summary written and published by Magellan Longevity · medical review by Gabriel Radu, DO (physiatrist, NPI 1376861765). We summarize what the paper reported — we did not run this study.

The takeaway

Self-administered acupressure shows promise for reducing pain and fatigue in people with chronic low back pain.

The question

Can self-administered acupressure reduce fatigue, pain, sleep problems, and disability in individuals with chronic low back pain (CLBP)?

What they tested

Self-administered acupressure, specifically relaxing and stimulating types, will improve fatigue, pain, sleep, and reported disability in individuals with CLBP.

How they did it

A randomized pilot trial (N=67) assigned participants to six weeks of either relaxing acupressure, stimulating acupressure, or usual care. Outcomes measured included fatigue (Brief Fatigue Inventory), pain (Brief Pain Inventory), sleep (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index), and reported disability (Roland Morris Scale). An intent-to-treat analysis using general linear models was performed.

What they found

Baseline characteristics were similar across all groups. Both acupressure groups showed positive improvement in pain compared to usual care, with pain reduced by 35-36%. Stimulating acupressure also led to improved fatigue compared to usual care. Minimal adverse events were reported, primarily due to applying too much pressure.

Pain Reduction in Acupressure Groups

Values shown: Pain Reduction (%)

Relaxing Acupressure		35
Stimulating Acupressure		36

Both relaxing and stimulating acupressure groups experienced a significant reduction in pain compared to usual care.

What it means

This pilot study suggests that self-administered acupressure may be effective in reducing pain and fatigue in individuals with chronic low back pain.

Limitations

This was a small pilot study, which limits the generalizability of the findings.

“Pain was reduced by 35–36% in the acupressure groups compared with usual care… acupressure demonstrated promising support of efficacy for pain and fatigue reduction.”— from the published abstract, Pain Med 2019

The paper at a glance

Title	Self-Administered Acupressure for Chronic Low Back Pain: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial
Journal	Pain Med
Year	2019
PMID	31237610 ↗
DOI	10.1093/pm/pnz138 ↗
Topic	Pain, nerves & musculoskeletal medicine

Read the source: PubMed record (authors, abstract, full citation) ↗ · Publisher via doi.org ↗

Where Magellan uses this paper

This citation sits behind the evidence grade on the pages below. Grades are set from the research and are independent of affiliate commissions.

Acupressure Mat & Pillow Set

Clinical evidence relates chiefly to the underlying technique of acupressure/acupoint stimulation, which randomized trials and meta-analyses associate with modest improvements in chronic low back and knee-osteoarthritis pain, sleep quality, cancer-related fatigue, and anxiety - and, in meta-analyses in older adults…

Acupressure Mat & Pillow Set

An acupressure mat (also called a spike mat or mechanical needle-stimulation pad) is a firm cushion…

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Research describes the compound or intervention studied. It is not a claim about any specific product.

Molecules & mechanisms in this paper

Each of these is named in the paper’s own words above. Open the monograph for the full mechanism and its other citations.

Sleep

Cite this page

These citations point at this summary. To cite the original paper with its full author list, use the PubMed record or doi.org.

APA

Magellan Longevity. (2026). Can self-administered acupressure reduce fatigue, pain, sleep problems, and disability in individuals with chronic low back pain (CLBP)? [Plain-English summary of Pain Med 2019, PMID 31237610, DOI 10.1093/pm/pnz138]. Magellan Longevity. https://magellanlongevity.com/study/acupressure_clbp.html

BibTeX

@misc{magellan_acupressure_clbp,
  title        = {Can self-administered acupressure reduce fatigue, pain, sleep problems, and disability in individuals with chronic low back pain (CLBP)?},
  author       = {{Magellan Longevity}},
  year         = {2026},
  howpublished = {\url{https://magellanlongevity.com/study/acupressure_clbp.html}},
  note         = {Plain-English summary of PubMed PMID 31237610; DOI 10.1093/pm/pnz138; Pain Med 2019. Reviewed by Gabriel Radu, DO},
  urldate      = {2026-08-11}
}

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How this summary was made. Every section above restates what the published abstract of PMID 31237610 reports — the question, the design, the numbers, the authors’ own conclusion and their stated limitations. We do not add claims the paper did not make, and we keep negative and no-effect findings in. Magellan’s evidence grades are set from research like this and never from affiliate commissions.

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