Review Article
The Effectiveness of Acupressure on Relieving Pain: A Systematic Review

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Abstract

Acupressure is a complementary treatment that uses fingers and hands to stimulate acupoints and maintains the balance of energy. The objective of this study was to review the application of acupressure in managing different pains and the effectiveness of acupressure on relieving pain in various settings. A systematic review of English articles using the databases of MEDLINE, PubMed, and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) was performed using the search terms of “acupressure” and “pain.” Studies during which acupressure was applied as an intervention and assessed for its effectiveness on relieving pain were selected. The studies selected were those published from January 1, 1996 to December 31, 2011 that met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The participants included patients with dysmenorrhea, labor pain, low back pain, chronic headache, and other traumatic pains. The Oxford 2011 Levels of Evidence was used to appraise the literature. Fifteen studies were extracted for reducing dysmenorrhea (menstrual distress), labor pain, low back pain, chronic headache, and other traumatic pain. These papers were further reviewed for their study design, adequacy of randomization and concealment of allocation, blinding of participants, interventions, and outcome measurements. Acupressure has been shown to be effective for relieving a variety of pains in different populations. The review begins to establish a credible evidence base for the use of acupressure in pain relief. The implication for health care providers would be incorporating acupressure into their practice as an alternative therapy to facilitate patients who suffer from pain.

Section snippets

Research Question

Is acupressure effective in relieving pain in different populations, such as populations with dysmenorrhea, labor pain, low back pain, chronic headache, and other traumatic pains?

Eligibility Criteria

The inclusion criteria included pilot studies, clinical trials, and randomized controlled trials using human beings. The exclusion criteria were literature irrelevant to pain (n = 193), qualitative studies (n = 1), doctoral dissertations (n = 1), systematic reviews (n = 3), and case reports (n = 8). In addition, the

Study Selection

Of the 15 research studies extracted, six conveyed the use of acupressure to diminish the symptoms of dysmenorrhea. Three of the remaining nine RCTs studied the effectiveness of acupressure in relieving labor pain, especially during the active phase of the first stage of labor. Another three RCTs investigated the effects of acupressure for treatment of low back pain, and the other three are clinical trials for reducing tension headache and minor traumatic pains.

Discussion

From the results of the fifteen studies, acupressure is shown to reduce various pains, including dysmenorrhea, labor pain, low back pain, chronic headache, and other traumatic pains in different countries. The clinical trials showed that acupressure can be efficiently conducted by health care professionals as an adjuvant therapy in general practice for pain relief. The intervention is implemented through pressing and rubbing acupoints with fingers and hands by using a force approximately 3 to 5

Conclusions

The systematic review begins to establish a credible evidence base for the use of acupressure in relieving pain. An evidence-base of reliable and valid evaluation is crucial for clinicians. In terms of the implication for nursing education, practice, and research, the review provides important evidence that acupressure uses a noninvasive, timely, and effective way to support its effectiveness in relieving a variety of pains. However, health care providers would incorporate acupressure into

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