EA was superior to pharmacological treatment when the treatment duration lasted for three menstrual cycles , evidence d by significantly higher curative rate .
No statistically significant differences between EA at SP6 and control groups were found regarding the VRS , RSS-COX1 , and RSS-COX2 .
The findings of our study suggested that EA can provide considerable immediate analgesia effect for PD .
Electroacupuncture ( EA ) is considered to be a promising alternative therapy to relieve the menstrual pain for primary dysmenorrhea ( PD ) , but the conclusion is controversial .
Here , we conducted a systematic review and meta- analysis specifically to evaluate the clinical efficacy from r and omized controlled trials ( RCTs ) on the use of EA in patients with PD .
A comparative study on the immediate effects of electroacupuncture at Sanyinjiao (SP6), Xuanzhong (GB39) and a non-meridian point, on menstrual pain and uterine arterial blood flow, in primary dysmenorrhea patients.
OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to compare the effects of Sanyinjiao ( SP6 ) , Xuanzhong ( GB39 ) , and an adjacent non-meridian point on menstrual pain and uterine arterial blood flow in primary dysmenorrhea patients . DESIGN The design of the study was a prospect i ve , r and omized controlled trial . SETTING The setting of the study was the Sh and ong Institute of Medical Imaging , Jinan , China . PATIENTS The patients were 52 women with primary dysmenorrhea . INTERVENTIONS Women received electroacupuncture ( EA ) at SP6 ( n=13 ) , GB39 ( n=14 ) , and an adjacent non-meridian point ( n=12 ) , respectively , for 10 minutes when scored ≥40 on a 100-mm visual analog scale ( VAS ) , and for 30 minutes on the next 2 days . There was no EA in the waiting list group ( n=13 ) . OUTCOME MEASURES Primary outcomes were menstrual pain , resistance index ( RI ) , and the ratio between peak systolic to end-diastolic flow velocity ( S/D ) in uterine arteries . Secondary outcomes included verbal rating scale ( VRS ) and retrospective symptom scale ( RSS ) . RESULTS The SP6 group had a highly significant reduction in VAS scores compared with the waiting list group ( -23.19 mm , 95 % confidence interval [CI]-32.06 to -14.33 , P<0.0001 ) , GB39 group ( -18.58 mm , 95 % CI -27.29 to -9.88 , P<0.0001 ) and the non-meridian point group ( -20.78 mm , 95 % CI -29.82 to -11.73 , P<0.0001 ) , respectively . A significant reduction in VRS scores was found in the SP6 group compared with the GB39 group ( P=0.034 ) and the non-meridian point group ( P=0.038 ) . There were no significant differences of RI , S/D-values and RSS scores among the four groups ( P>0.05 ) . CONCLUSIONS EA at SP6 can immediately relieve menstrual pain and minimize the influence of pain on daily life compared with GB39 and an adjacent non-meridian point . The data preliminarily show the specificity of SP6 for the immediate pain relief of primary dysmenorrhea
EA was superior to pharmacological treatment when the treatment duration lasted for three menstrual cycles , evidence d by significantly higher curative rate .
No statistically significant differences between EA at SP6 and control groups were found regarding the VRS , RSS-COX1 , and RSS-COX2 .
The findings of our study suggested that EA can provide considerable immediate analgesia effect for PD .
Electroacupuncture ( EA ) is considered to be a promising alternative therapy to relieve the menstrual pain for primary dysmenorrhea ( PD ) , but the conclusion is controversial .
Here , we conducted a systematic review and meta- analysis specifically to evaluate the clinical efficacy from r and omized controlled trials ( RCTs ) on the use of EA in patients with PD .