Enhancing Flexibility through Chinese Auriculotherapy: Investigating the Impact on Sit and Reach Test - A Randomized Controlled Trial

Chinese auriculotherapy (CA) is a technique that is part of acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Acupuncture techniques have been utilized in physical practices to enhance performance and manage pain. Nevertheless, it remains uncertain whether CA can enhance performance in stretching exercises. Thus, this study aims to determine if CA can have an ergogenic effect on the sit and reach test and to evaluate the impact of CA on pain perception and effort during the test. Our hypotheses is that CA will positively influence performance in the sit and reach test by reducing pain perception through the implemented protocol. The study employed a randomized, double-blind, crossover design. The sample consisted of 15 individuals (12 women and 3 men, mean age 22.33 ± 6.4 years, BMI 23.43 ± 4.24). The participants underwent a flexibility assessment protocol using the sit and reach test under three different conditions: I) CA protocol; II) CA placebo protocol (CAP); III) control group without any therapeutic intervention (CG). Subjective pain and effort perception were evaluated using the CR-10 Borg scale. A statistical difference was observed between CA vs. CAP and CA vs. CG in the sit and reach test. No statistical changes were found for the other variables and conditions studied. A significance level of 5% was adopted. Therefore, CA can enhance performance in the sit and reach test; however, the mechanisms responsible for this improvement are still unclear.