Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1
Pain Research Center, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
2
Nursing Care Research Center in Chronic Diseases, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
3
Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, School of Health, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
10.22122/ahj.2022.91873
Abstract
Background: Pain is the most crucial reason to seek treatment, and acupressure is one of the most common
ways to relieve pain; therefore, this study was conducted with the aim to investigate the effectiveness of
acupressure on the reduction of pain and stability of physiological indexes in addicted men.
Methods: The present single-blind, randomized, clinical trial was performed on 90 participants who were
hospitalized in an addiction treatment camp in Masjed-e-Soleyman, Iran. The participants were divided into
acupressure group (n = 45) and control group (n = 45) through allocating permutation blocks method. The
acupressure group received acupressure on SP6 and ST36 points for 3 consecutive sessions and each session
for 10 minutes. The data collection tools used included a demographic information questionnaire, the
Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ), and a physiological index registration form, tympanic
thermometer, sphygmomanometer, pulse oximetry device, and digital watch. Repeated measures ANOVA
was used to analyze the data. P ≤ 0.05 was considered statically significant.
Findings: There was a statistically significant decrease in the sensory dimension of pain in the acupressure
group compared to the control group in all 3 sessions (P ≤ 0.001; P ≤ 0.001; P = 0.001, respectively). There
was no statistically significant difference in the overall pain score (P ≥ 0.005), emotional pain dimension
(P ≥ 0.005), and physiological indexes of pain (P ≥ 0.005) between the two groups after the intervention.
Conclusion: Acupressure is a non-invasive and cost-effective method that reduces the sensory dimension of
pain, and its application does not require special tools; thus, the use of such a safe and secure method for
relieving pain is recommended.
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