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Pain and Spine Medicine

Session: Effectiveness of Battlefield Acupuncture/Acupressure (BFA/BAA) as an Adjunct Pain Intervention option in Veteran Patients - A Preliminary Study

Effectiveness of Battlefield Acupuncture/Acupressure (BFA/BAA) as an Adjunct Pain Intervention Option in Veteran Patients - A Preliminary Study

Friday, October 24, 2025
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM MT
Location: Original Research Theater

    Poster Presenter(s)

  • Kristen Clark, MD (she/her/hers)

    Resident Physician
    UCLA David Geffen SOM/ UCLA Medical Center/VA Greater Los Angeles Health
    Los Angeles, California

    • Co-Author(s)

  • Catherine Y. Cho, DO (she/her/hers)

    Resident Physician
    UCLA David Geffen SOM/ UCLA Medical Center/VA Greater Los Angeles Health
    Los Angeles, California

  • Sneh Patel, MD

    Resident Physician
    UCLA David Geffen SOM/ UCLA Medical Center/VA Greater Los Angeles Health
    Los Angeles, California

  • RO

    Rebecca Ovsiowitz, MD

    Director of Inpatient Pain West Los Angeles VAMC
    UCLA
    Malibu, California

Disclosure(s):
Kristen Clark, MD: No financial relationships to disclose
Catherine Cho, DO: No financial relationships to disclose
Sneh Patel, MD: No financial relationships to disclose
Rebecca Ovsiowitz, MD: No financial relationships to disclose
Background and/or Objectives: Chronic pain is a prevalent issue among veterans. This study evaluates the effectiveness of (BFA/BAA) for pain management and identifies predictive patient variables for pain improvement.

Design: Retrospective chart review and statistical analysis of patient data.

Setting : Outpatient Chronic Pain clinic, PM&R clinics, Inpatient pain consult service.

Participants : Patients who received BFA/BAA from 05/01/2017-10/25/2023. Exclusions: patients under 18, pregnant, with infections or ear deformities. Data from patients unable to complete the protocol due to pain were excluded.

Interventions: BFA or BAA procedure

Main Outcome Measures: Identification of medical and demographic factors predictive of pain improvement post-BFA/BAA.

Results: A total of 264 BFA protocols were reviewed (47 inpatient, 217 outpatient). Mostly elderly (60.69±14.03 years), non-Hispanic (n=205), male (n=217) population. Baseline pain levels were moderate (6.52±2.44). More patients underwent BFA (n=243) than BAA. Most patients (n=187) experienced pain relief, with an average decrease of 2.21±2.39 points; 79 patients had significant pain relief (>50% decrease). Younger age (β=-0.04, p< 0.005), choice of BFA (β=0.97, p=0.05), and lower pre-BFA pain level (β=-0.54, p< 0.005) predicted higher pain difference. Active gabapentinoid script (β=-0.54, p=0.05) predicted lower pain difference. Lower age (β=-0.03, p=0.008) and previous BFA history (β=0.66, p=0.05) were positively associated with significant pain response. The presence of an SNRI script had the opposite effect (β=-0.79, p=0.05).

Conclusions: BFA was more effective in younger individuals with lower baseline pain. Patients who were on gabapentinoids and SNRIs, which are often used to treat neuropathic pain, had a less significant response to the procedure, suggesting BFA may be more effective for nociceptive pain. The procedure is recommended as an adjunct pain intervention across various settings and patient demographics.