Comparison of the effect of acupressure at spleen 6 and liver 3 points on the anxiety level of patients with primary dysmenorrhea- Blind randomized controlled clinical trial

Anxiety is a factor that is associated with dysmenorrhea. The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of acupressure at spleen 6 and liver 3 points on the anxiety level of patients with primary dysmenorrhea. In this randomized clinical trial study, acupressure was applied on spleen 6 and liver 3 points. Sixty seven students were evaluated in three menstrual periods. They were assigned to groups using a randomized block design with allocation ratio of 1:1 based on the severity of pain. Spielberger state-trait anxiety inventory (STAI) and visual analogue scale for pain intensity were used. Analysis was performed by SPSS-16 software using chi-square, t-test, Mann–Whitney, paired sample t-test and covariance analysis. In liver 3 and spleen 6 groups, 11 and 17 students were studied, respectively. The mean ±SD values of apparent anxiety before and after intervention for liver 3 group were 45.100±9.769 and 38.100±10.608 and for spleen 6 group were 46.823±12.248 and 44.352±11.942, respectively. Reduction of apparent anxiety was only significant in the liver 3 group (p<0.001). Hidden anxiety, however, didn’t show any significant change before and after intervention (p>0.05) in both groups. There was no difference between groups before and after intervention (p>0.05). Since pressure on liver 3 point reduced apparent anxiety, pressure on liver 3 point is recommended in patients with dysmenorrhea.