| Author: | Wong, Cho-lee Jojo |
| Title: | The effectiveness of acupressure on primary dysmenorrhea |
| Degree: | M.Sc. |
| Year: | 2008 |
| Subject: | Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations Acupuncture Dysmenorrhea Menstruation disorders |
| Department: | School of Nursing |
| Pages: | xi, 121 leaves : ill. ; 30 cm. |
| Language: | English |
| Abstract: | Background: Primary dysmenorrhea is a common problem among women in reproductive age and it refers as painful menses despite normal pelvic anatomy and ovulation within menstrual cycle. It not only affects academic performance, social and sports activities of the adolescent girls but is also the greatest single cause of lost work and periodic absenteeism of females. Several studies have reported acupressure have an immediate effect in managing primary dysmenorrhea, however, few have focused for a longer period of time and the effectiveness of using acupressure as a self-treatment measure for primary dysmenorrhea have not been mentioned. Aim of the study: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of SP6 acupressure on improving primary dysmenorrhea. Methods: 40 subjects were recruited from the Nursing School of a local University and assigned into the acupressure group and control group. The acupressure group (n=19) received 20 minutes acupressure on the SP6 acupressure point, while the control group (n=21) only received 20 minutes rest with accompany by the researcher. Four instruments including the Pain Visual Analogue Scale, Short-Form McGill Pain questionnaire, Short-Form Menstrual Distress questionnaire and for the experimental group only, the Acupressure Assessment Form were used for data collection right before the intervention, immediately after the intervention and in the first three days of the subject's menstrual cycle from the first month, second month and third month after the intervention. Results: The results showed that there were statistically significant decrease of pain score of Pain Visual Analogue scale and McGill Pain questionnaire immediate after 20 minutes of SP6 acupressure intervention but not for the Menstrual Distress score. No significant differences were noted for the systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure and the heart rate. In the self care periods, significant reduction of pain and menstrual distress were noted in the post-3-months of intervention. All of the subjects in the experimental group reported that SP6 acupressure was useful in reducing primary dysmenorrhea immediate after intervention and in the post-3-months of self care periods. Conclusions: The findings of this research showed that acupressure applied to the SP6 acupoint can be an effective non-invasive nursing intervention for the alleviation of primary dysmenorrhea. Not only did it serve as an intervention for nurses in managing patients with dysmenorrhea, but also showed that acupressure can be adopted as a self-help measure in relieving primary dysmenorrhea for adolescent girls. |
| Rights: | All rights reserved |
| Access: | restricted access |
Files in This Item:
| File | Description | Size | Format | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| b22659067.pdf | For All Users (off-campus access for PolyU Staff & Students only) | 2.38 MB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
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