Evaluation of the Application of Auricular Laserpuncture in the Treatment of Chronic Pain

This study will analyze the effectiveness of treatment protocols A or B for chronic pain in the shoulder, knee, or lumbar spine regions in elderly individuals. The protocol A involves the application of low-power red laser therapy on auriculotherapy acupoints. The protocol B involves the application of mustard seeds . To assess the qualitative aspect of the study, the McGill Pain Questionnaire and the Visual Analog Scale will be used to evaluate chronic pain, while the SF-36 instrument will assess the participants' quality of life before and after the treatment protocol. For the quantitative evaluation, thermographic imaging and the Ryodoraku System will be used. All proposed tools will be applied before the first treatment session, before the fifth session ,and at the end of the tenth session.

Risks and Benefits During the study, participants will be subject to risks related to physical and psychological discomfort due to the proposed therapeutic protocol. All procedures will be performed individually in an appropriate and private room to ensure the participant's comfort and privacy. Each participant will be provided with protective goggles, which must be worn throughout the laser application period. These goggles will be sanitized before each session, and the laser device tip will be covered with PVC film, replaced after each session.

Although rare, stimulation of the auricular pavilion may cause transient side effects such as local pain, fatigue, dizziness, nausea, and headaches. The use of the laser may generate slight discomfort, such as mild warming, but this effect is temporary and has no serious consequences. If a participant experiences any of these symptoms or any other physical discomfort, the protocol will be immediately interrupted, and the participant will remain under observation by the researcher until they feel better. The use of mustard seeds may cause mild pain at the application site, but this typically subsides over time. Participants will be informed that if a seed falls off prematurely, it will not affect the treatment, and they should continue stimulating the remaining seeds three times a day and remove them one day before the next session.

Psychological discomfort may also arise when participants answer the questionnaires. The questionnaire will be administered in a private setting with only the participant and the researcher present. If the participant feels uncomfortable, they may request to withdraw from the study.

To minimize the risk of exposure of participants' personal data, the researcher commits to storing all collected data in password-protected digital files accessible only to the research team. Each participant will be assigned an individual identification code to prevent any possibility of access or identification.