Comparison of the Effects of Acupressure and Ice massage in Primary Dysmenorrhea: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

The aim of the study was to compare the effectiveness of acupressure and ice massage treatment methods in the treatment of primary dysmenorrhea. The 210 female students were randomly divided into three groups of acupressure, ice massage and control group. In the acupressure group, pressure was performed at the Hugo point through applying a medium pressure for 10 minutes' massage. The procedure was repeated for 5 times. In the ice massage group, 2 cm diameter circular ice pieces were used. Massage with ice was carried out rotationally for 10 minutes. Like the acupressure, the procedure was repeated for 5 times. In the control group, glass marbles were applied at the Hugo point with no pressure and massage for 10 minutes. The intensity of pain was measured prior to the intervention, during the intervention and following the intervention using visual analogue scale. At the beginning, the mean VAS scores were 7.41 ± 1.82, 6.74 ± 2.23, and 7.03 ± 1.72 in the participants in groups control, acupressure and ice massage, respectively (P = 0.13). After the intervention, the mean pain scores were significantly lower at all of the time points in groups acupressure and ice massage than in group control participants (P < 0.001). Although the pain scores showed a more decreasing trend after the intervention in group ice massage than that in group acupressure, the difference between the two groups was not statistically significant (P = 0.97). It was revealed that treatment with acupressure and ice massage can also be recommended as a complementary medicine treatment for the treatment of primary dysmenorrhea with no reported side effects.

Keywords

• Acupressure
• Ice massage
• Hugo point
• Dysmenorrhea
• Pain.

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