Investigatingthe effect of pressure on third liver point on primary dysmenorrhea: a randomized controlled clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Primary dysmenorrhea (PD) is a term used to describe uterine muscle spasms which occurs during the days of menstruation.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the effect of acupressure on third liver point on primary dysmenorrhea.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: Female students living in dormitories of Kashan University of Medical Sciences in Iran who had PD were studied for three menstrual cycles between March till June 2012. Individuals with depression score higher than 19 according to the Beck-21 Depression scale were excluded. In the first cycle, pain intensity was assessed without intervention, and 67 samples with a pain score greater than 4 according to the visual analogue scale (VAS) were selected. Then they were randomized into third liver point (liv3) and control (placebo) groups using randomized block design with 1:1 allocation ratio based on pain intensity. In the second and third cycles, pressure was applied by the research unit intermittently for 16 minutes (2 minutes pressure, 2 minutes resting) with the starting of blood flow. Primary outcome of this study was the pain intensity which was compared between first and third cycles. Someone who divided groups, samples and data analyzer was blinded.

RESULTS: In the treatment group 27 samples and in the control group 32 samples were analyzed. Friedman test showed significant differences in pain intensity before and after the intervention within both groups (P < 0.05). There were no significant differences between the groups according to the ordinal regression test in 3 cycles (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS: The pressure on the LIV3 applied in this investigation was effective in reducing primary dysmenorrheal pain. So using this method is recommended to reduce PD.