Real-World Use of Acupoints for Headache Treatment: An Exploratory Survey of Licensed Acupuncturists in Japan

Abstract Background This study aimed to investigate the acupoints commonly used by licensed acupuncturists in Japan to treat patients with migraine, in order to provide foundational data for the future standardization of randomized controlled trials conducted domestically. Methods Participants were licensed acupuncturists living in Japan. They attended a seminar led by headache specialists and an experienced acupuncturist to deepen their knowledge of headache management. After the seminar, participants were asked to complete a post-seminar online questionnaire. As part of the post-seminar questionnaire, participants were asked the following question: “For practitioners who treat patients with migraine in clinical practice, please list the five acupoints you most frequently use for migraine treatment.” Response options included GB20, LI4, GB34, LR3, PC6, GV20, EX-HN5, ST8, and “Other”. If an acupoint was not listed, participants were asked to enter it in a free-text field. Results Eighty-seven participants were enrolled, and 12 participants were excluded from the final analysis. Among the acupoints used for migraine treatment, the most frequently selected acupoints were GB20 ( n = 67, 89.3%), followed by LI4 ( n = 43, 57.3%), GV20 ( n = 41, 54.7%), and ST8 ( n = 33, 44.0%). Conclusion This study revealed the acupuncture points most frequently used by acupuncturists who actually treat patients with migraine in Japan. These results will provide important insights for standardizing protocols in future randomized controlled trials conducted domestically. Graphic Abstract