Pattern-related profiles of acupuncture points for pain management

Abstract

In Traditional East Asian Medicine, acupoints are selected based on clinical symptoms and pattern identification. Since treatment plans target specific diseases and patterns, acupoints may be selected based on clinical indications or pattern-related considerations. This study aimed to examine the associations between acupoint use and deficiency–excess, cold–heat, and dryness–dampness pattern scores. Data were collected from the medical records of 423 outpatients with various pain disorders. Clinicians assigned semi-quantitative scores for deficiency–excess, cold–heat, and dryness–dampness on a −5 to +5 scale as part of the study assessment. Mean scores across the 3 pattern dimensions were calculated for the 30 most frequently prescribed acupoints, followed by hierarchical clustering. Two- to six-cluster solutions were compared using silhouette scores, and a five-cluster partition was retained for descriptive interpretation and further assessed for bootstrap stability. Across the 423 cases, ST36, LR3, and LI4 were the most commonly used acupoints for pain management. These 30 acupoints showed heterogeneous profiles across the 3 pattern dimensions. Hierarchical clustering provided an exploratory five-group representation, although no uniquely optimal cluster solution was identified. Commonly used acupoints showed heterogeneous profiles across clinician-assigned deficiency–excess, cold–heat, and dryness–dampness scores. These findings provide an exploratory description of pattern-related tendencies in real-world acupoint selection. Further prospective studies using standardized pattern assessment and adjustment for disease- and clinician-related factors are required to validate these associations.

The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Medicine, 2026 · DOI ↗