Effect of Hegu Point Ice Massage and Music in Dysmenorrhea
Condition: Primary Dysmenorrhea
MeSH terms: Dysmenorrhea
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      Dysmenorrhea, a gynecological health problem that is frequently observed in adolescents and
      young adult women and often cannot be diagnosed is defined as pelvic pain associated with
      menstruation.

      Providing analgesia without using pharmacological treatment is the leading aim of health care
      and can reduce drug-related complications. Therefore, nurses' awareness of the use of
      complementary and alternative medicine should be raised and the methods used should be based
      on evidence. Our search for studies in which the effects of listening to music and ice
      massage applied to the Hegu point on pain management in individuals with dysmenorrhea were
      investigated demonstrated that the number of such studies in the literature is not many. We
      think that the present study is important in terms of increasing the comfort levels of
      individuals with dysmenorrhea, basing the applications on evidence and contributing to the
      literature. It was conducted to compare the effects of ice massage applied to the Hegu point
      and music on pain and comfort levels in nursing students with dysmenorrhea.
    

Detailed description: 
      Dysmenorrhea, a gynecological health problem that is frequently observed in adolescents and
      young adult women and often cannot be diagnosed, is defined as pelvic pain associated with
      menstruation. The prevalence of dysmenorrhea is reported to vary between 50% and 90% in women
      of reproductive age. Dysmenorrhea and the symptoms accompanying dysmenorrhea cause
      significant economic losses by leading to both work and school absenteeism. Particularly in
      adolescents, due to dysmenorrhea, participation in sports and social activities is
      restricted, indicators of academic performance such as school absenteeism, school success,
      concentration, productivity are negatively affected, and thus their levels of general comfort
      and quality of life decrease. On the other hand, pharmacological treatment options used in
      the treatment of dysmenorrhea are very few. On top of this, the effectiveness of these
      treatment options is still debated. Since the medication used in the pharmacological
      treatment of dysmenorrhea has various side effects, using non-pharmacological treatments in
      addition to pharmacological treatment in the management of dysmenorrhea would be beneficial.

      Cold application is one of the effective, simple, inexpensive and reliable
      non-pharmacological methods used to reduce pain, with few complications or no side effects.
      The Hegu point, the most important pain relief point of the body, can be stimulated in all
      painful conditions. Another low-risk and low-cost nonpharmacological method for standard care
      used in pain management is the music medicine.

      This randomized clinical trial was designed to determine the effects of ice massage applied
      to the Hegu point and music on dysmenorrhea, compared to a control group that no intervention
      in women of 18 years or older from the the Faculty of Health Sciences at the Manisa Celal
      Bayar University, Manisa, Turkey.
    

Intervention name(s): ice massage; music medicine
Intervention type(s): Behavioral; Behavioral
Intervention description(s): After the students who met the sample selection criteria applied Student Information Form. On the first day of the participating students' menstruation, prior to the application (when the pain started), the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), General Comfort Questionnaire (GCQ) and Dysmenorrhea Follow-up Form were filled in at the pre-test. The Hegu point of the participating students was detected with the acupuncture point finder. Ice cubes whose dimensions were 2x2x2 cm were wrapped with gauze and placed in a plastic bag. Vaseline® jelly was spread on the application area. The application applied 2 minutes of ice massage 7 times at 15-second intervals. The participants' pain levels were assessed three times, as soon as the application was over, 30 and 60 minutes after the application (Post-test).
On the second day of menstruation, the participants were asked to fill in the VAS, GCQ, and Effects of Dysmenorrhea Scale (EDS).; After the students who met the sample selection criteria applied Student Information Form. On the first day of the participating students' menstruation, prior to the application (when the pain started), the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), General Comfort Questionnaire (GCQ) and Dysmenorrhea Follow-up Form were filled in at the pre-test. Depending on their preference, each participant wearing personalized headphones was played instrumental music in the pre-menstruation period for 30 minutes. The volume of the music was adjusted based on the verbal feedback or facial expressions of the students. The participants' pain levels were assessed three times, as soon as the application was over, 30 and 60 minutes after the application (Post-test). On the second day of menstruation, the participants were asked to fill in the VAS, GCQ, and Effects of Dysmenorrhea Scale (EDS).
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Double (Participant, Investigator)
Primary purpose: Prevention
Keywords: comfort; ice massage; music; pain; dysmenorrhea