Comparing the effect of acupressure and intermittent compress on the severity of breast hyperemia in lactating women

Increase in milk volume، vessel’s lymphatic hyperemia and increased breast’s interstitial fluid in the first weeks of birth is causing mother''s breast hyperemia. The present study was to compare the acupressure (jangling) point and intermittent compress (hot and cold) on the intensity of breast hyperemia in lactating women. This clinical trial was conducted from March، 2009 to August، 2010 on all women referring to Gha’em hospital، Firouzabd، Fars. Seventy lactating women were selected using convenient sampling method and were randomly divided into two compress group and acupressure group. The intensity of the breast hyperemia was evaluated with a total score related to the hyperemia symptoms (red skin، breast tension and pain). Treatment for patients in both groups was performed 4 times (2 times in the first day and 2 times in the second day). The collected data related to the intensity of breast hyperemia before and after intervention was analyzed using within-subject analysis of variance by SPSS 16 software. The mean score of breast hyperemia intensity revealed a significant reduction in the successive days during the interventions in both groups (p < 0. 0001). The mean difference of the right breast hyperemia intensity score before and after the interventions in the acupressure group (5. 94 ± 2. 48) and compress group (8. 53 ± 2. 48) had a significant difference and the mean difference of the left breast hyperemia intensity score before and after the interventions in the acupressure group (5. 5 ± 2. 3) and compress group (7. 79 ± 3. 95) had a significant difference (p < 0. 001). Intermittent compress (hot and cold) is more effective than acupressure in decreasing of the intensity of breast hyperemia.