The Study: The effects of acupressure on pain severity in female nurses with chronic low back pain.
The Study’s Abstract (AKA Synopsis)
The Specifics
- 50 female nurses, 25-55 years of age, with chronic back pain, diagnosed by a doctor and lasting more than 3 months.
- 4 part questionnaire, before, immediately after, 2 weeks, and 4 weeks after the acupressure intervention (placebo and the real deal).
- How the experimental (real deal) acupressure was done:
- The examiners utilized light stroking initially, and pressure was equivalent to 3-4 kg, and held for 5 seconds, followed by a 1 second break until 2 minutes was reached.
- If the pressure was applied correctly, the participants felt a sense of warmth, heaviness, and numbness to the area.
- How the placebo group (“Sham”) acupressure was done:
- The pressure was applied to points at a distance (i.e. not acupoints)
- Lighter pressure
- Light stroking was not performed
- Also fun fact, in the interest of controlling for confounding variables, the intervention was started after the participants’ menstrual bleeding, and they were instructed not to perform the acupressure technique at home!
And the results….drum roll: Immediately after, 2 weeks, and 4 weeks after the intervention,
mean pain score was significantly lower in the experimental group compared to the sham group!
The power of stimulating those acupoints:)
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References
1. Movahedi M, Ghafari S, Nazari F, Valiani M. The effect of acupressure on pain severity in female nurses with chronic back pain. Iranian Journal of Nursing and Midwifery Research. 2017 Sep-Oct; 22 (5): 339–42.
