Effect of Hegu Point Ice Massage and Music in Dysmenorrhea

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.

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.

Eligibility Criteria:
Inclusion Criteria:

* Having menstruation regularly (between 21 and 35 days),
* Not using traditional and complementary treatments such as analgesics or massage during the application,
* Not having a diagnosed psychiatric problem and a history of endometriosis in the past,
* Not having infection and ovarian cyst / tumor, not having a neuropathic problem that might cause diabetes or nerve damage,
* Being over 18 years of age and agreeing to participate in the study.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Having hearing problems,
* Having connective tissue diseases,
* Having bleeding and coagulation disorders,
* Having fractures in the hand and arm to undergo therapy,
* Having sensitivity to cold,
* Using oral contraceptives.