The Effects of Acupressure and Massage on Pain, Menstrual Symptoms, and Quality of Life in Primary Dysmenorrhea: A Randomized Controlled Trial

<b><i>Objective:</i></b> The study was carried out to determine the effects of acupressure and massage on pain severity, menstrual symptoms, and quality of life in patients with primary dysmenorrhea. <b><i>Materials and Methods:</i></b> This randomized controlled trial was conducted between January 2021 and May 2021. The study initially enrolled 309 female students with primary dysmenorrhea studying at a university in the Central Anatolia Region of Türkiye. After exclusions (due to secondary dysmenorrhea diagnosis, study discontinuation, or drug use), the study was completed with a total of 267 students. The students were divided into three groups as follows: (1) the acupressure+massage group, (2) the massage-only group, and (3) the control group. Acupressure + massage and massage-only groups were timed for the first 3 days of three consecutive menstrual cycles. The primary outcome of the study was the mean pain score for primary dysmenorrhea. Data were collected with the Visual Analog Scale, Daily Menstrual Symptom Rating Scale, and Short Form 12 Health Survey. <b><i>Results:</i></b> In the first cycle and first day of preintervention measurement, the physical and mental health levels, which are the subscales of pain severity, menstrual symptom intensity, and quality of life, were similar in the three groups (<i>p</i> > 0.05). In other measurements during the three cycles, it was determined that the pain severity and menstrual symptom intensity in the acupressure + massage and massage-only group were lower than the control group (<i>p</i> < 0.05). After the intervention, it was determined that there was no significant difference in all subscales of the Quality of Life Scale (<i>p</i> > 0.05). In the acupressure + massage group, three participants reported having adverse reactions, including pain at the acupoints (<i>n</i> = 1) and shift in menstruation cycle (<i>n</i> = 2); in the massage-only group, four participants reported having adverse reactions, including redness (<i>n</i> = 3) and tingling in a finger (<i>n</i> = 1). <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> It was determined that acupressure and massage applied to those with primary dysmenorrhea were effective methods to reduce the pain level and menstrual symptom intensity, but did not affect their quality of life. <b><i>Clinical Trials Number:</i></b> A Clinical trials number was received from ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04942288).