Aksoy-Can Ahu, Buldum Aysu, Abiç Arzu, Vefikuluçay-Yilmaz Duygu
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Mersin University, 33343, Mersin, Turkey.
Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, Eastern Mediterranean University, North Cyprus, via Mersin 10, Famagusta, Turkey.
BMC Complement Med Ther. 2025 Jul 2;25(1):221. doi: 10.1186/s12906-025-04965-0.
Integrative therapies, such as acupressure, may be employed for the management of primary dysmenorrhea (PD), which is a prevalent condition with a particularly high prevalence among adolescents.
This study was conducted as a single-blind randomized controlled trial to determine the effect of acupressure on pain, menstrual symptoms, and comfort in adolescents with PD.
A two-arm randomized controlled trial.
A total of 56 female adolescent students were randomly assigned to either the acupressure group (n = 28) or the sham group (n = 28) using block randomization. The acupressure group applied self-acupressure to the LI4, ST36, and SP6 points, while the sham group applied self-sham acupressure to points 1.5 cm around the same points for a period of three menstrual cycles (12 weeks) for an average of 15 min, immediately after waking up and just before going to bed on the first three days of menstruation. The primary outcome was Visual Analog Scale (VAS), and the secondary outcome were Menstruation Symptom Questionnaire (MSQ) and the General Comfort Questionnaire (GCQ).
A comparison of the acupressure group with the sham group revealed a statistically significant decline in VAS and MSQ scores, while GCQ scores demonstrated a notable increase at the end of the 12-week study period (p < 0.05). An intragroup comparison revealed a statistically significant decrease in the VAS scores of the acupressure group over time (p < 0.001). For both groups, there was a decrease in the MSQ scores and an increase in the scores obtained from the socio-cultural domain subscale of the GCQ over time (p < 0.05).
The results demonstrated that acupressure is an efficacious approach for alleviating pain and menstrual symptoms, as well as enhancing comfort. Consequently, regular acupressure may be a viable option for the management of PD in young women.
This randomized controlled trial was conducted in accordance with the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) guidelines and registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05408611) on dated 01.06.2022.
诸如指压疗法等综合疗法可用于原发性痛经（PD）的管理，原发性痛经是一种常见病症，在青少年中患病率尤其高。
本研究作为一项单盲随机对照试验进行，以确定指压疗法对患有原发性痛经的青少年的疼痛、月经症状和舒适度的影响。
双臂随机对照试验。
采用区组随机化方法，将56名女性青少年学生随机分为指压组（n = 28）或假手术组（n = 28）。指压组对合谷穴（LI4）、足三里穴（ST36）和三阴交穴（SP6）进行自我指压，而假手术组在相同穴位周围1.5厘米处进行自我假指压，持续三个月经周期（12周），平均每次15分钟，在月经来潮的前三天每天起床后和睡前进行。主要结局指标是视觉模拟评分法（VAS），次要结局指标是月经症状问卷（MSQ）和一般舒适度问卷（GCQ）。
指压组与假手术组比较，在12周研究期结束时，VAS和MSQ评分有统计学意义的下降，而GCQ评分有显著增加（p < 0.05）。组内比较显示，指压组的VAS评分随时间有统计学意义的下降（p < 0.001）。两组的MSQ评分均下降，GCQ社会文化领域子量表得分随时间增加（p < 0.05）。
结果表明，指压疗法是缓解疼痛和月经症状以及提高舒适度的有效方法。因此，定期指压疗法可能是年轻女性原发性痛经管理的可行选择。
本随机对照试验按照《报告试验的统一标准》（CONSORT）指南进行，并于2022年6月1日在ClinicalTrials.gov（NCT05408611）注册。
