Effect of Acupressure at Sanyinjiao Point 6 on pain in primary dysmenorrhea among medical students at a private institute in Karachi.

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to determine the difference in pain intensity before and after acupressure at Sanyinjiao Point 6 (SP6) in medical students with Primary Dysmenorrhea (PD).

Methods: The research design was quasi-experimental adopting a single group comparing pre and post-intervention data. The study was conducted in a private medical institute in Karachi, Pakistan, from September 2022 to April 2023. To select participants, a modified menstrual symptom questionnaire was used, and to measure the pain, the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) was used during the four months of the study. A convenient sample of 50 healthy medical students were included who suffered from PD and were not using analgesics. After taking informed written consent, in the first month, VAS scoring was done without intervention on the first three days of the menstrual cycle (MC). In the subsequent three MCs, acupressure was self-applied (after being taught by a qualified acupressurist) three times a day at acupoint SP6 for two to five minutes on both legs one by one during the first three days of each intervention MC and VAS pain scoring was done.

Results: A statistically significant reduction in pain intensity (p<0.01) was observed in post-acupressure VAS scores during the first three days of each intervention menstrual cycle.

Conclusion: Acupressure at the SP6 point has been shown to effectively reduce pain intensity in medical students with primary dysmenorrhea. As a result, this alternative therapy can be recommended as a non-pharmacological option for pain management.