The Effects of Hand Acupuncture Therapy on Dysmenorrhea

고려수지요법이 여고생의 월경곤란증에 미치는 효과

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the effects of hand acupuncture therapy on dysmenorrhea(pain, related symptoms, ADL). Method: A quasi experimental pre-test and post-test design(experimental group 20, control group 20 by convenience assignment) was used. Data were collected from March to October 2004. The experimental group participated in the treatment(acupuncture & moxibustion on A1(haeum), A4(jaso), A5(samsin), A6(samcho), A8(sinje), A12(wijung), A16(simgyeok), F4(gongson), F6(eumryeom) and ALTENS which is an acupuncture like transcutaneous nerve stimulation), while the control group did not receive any treatment. Data were analyzed using the SAS programme with Fisher's exact χ2 test, paired t-test, and ANCOVA. Results: In the experimental group, pain intensity(f=33.31 p=0.00), related symptoms(t=4.06 p=0.00), ADL difficulty(t=3.85 p=0.00), and medication requirements(χ2=21.00 p=0.00) were significantly lower than those in the control group. Conclusion: These findings indicate that hand acupuncture therapy is effective for reduction of dysmenorrhea. Therefore, hand acupuncture therapy is considered as an independent nursing intervention for reducing dysmenorrhea.