Comparison of the Effect of Acupressure at SP۶ and SP۸ Points on Pain Intensity and Duration of the First Stage of Labor

Background: Labor pain is one of the most severe pains that women experience. Acupressure is a non-pharmacological method of pain relief without complications.Aim: This study aimed to compare the effect of acupressure at SP۶ and SP۸ points on pain intensity and duration of the first stage of labor.Method: This clinical trial was performed on ۱۵۰ women admitted to a hospital in Tehran, Iran, during ۲۰۲۰. They were randomly divided into control, SP۶, and SP۸ groups. In the control group, a neutral point was selected. In dilatations of ۳-۴, ۵-۷, and ۸-۱۰ cm of the cervix, the pressure was applied to each group for ۲۰ min. Pain intensity was measured before the intervention and then ۱۵ and ۳۰ min after intervention in three groups, and the duration of the first stage of labor was recorded. The data were collected using demographic and obstetrics characteristics form, observation checklist, and Visual Analogue Scale. The data were analyzed using SPSS software (version ۱۹).Results: The results showed that the mean pain intensity in the three stages of the intervention groups and the mean duration of the first stage of labor was significantly different from those in the control group (P<۰.۰۰۱). The Tukey post hoc test revealed that pain intensity and duration of the first stage of labor were significantly lower in the SP۸ group (P<۰.۰۰۱).Implications for Practice: It is recommended that acupressure be used as a non-pharmacological method to reduce pain and duration of labor.

Keywords:

Acupressure , Complementary Medicine , Labor pain , SP۶ point , SP۸ point