Immediate Analgesic Effect of Perpendicular Needling or Transverse Needling at SP 6 in Primary Dysmenorrhea: A Pilot Study

Abstract

Objective: Needling technique is an important factor contributing to the efficacy of an acupuncture point. In previous studies, Sanyinjiao (SP 6) had an immediate analgesic effect on primary dysmenorrhea (PD) with strengthened acupuncture stimulation. Transverse needling without De Qi is accepted more easily by patients who dislike De Qi. This kind of needling also has certain effects on some conditions. This study compared the immediate analgesic effect of perpendicular De Qi needling with transverse non-De Qi needling at SP 6 in patients with PD. Materials and Methods: Twenty-six participants with PD were randomly allocated to a perpendicular needling group (Group A; n = 13) or a transverse needling group (Group B; n = 13). Visual analogue scale (VAS; 0-100 mm) pain levels and skin-temperature measurements were determined at 4 acupuncture points before and after the interventions. Results: Severity of dysmenorrhea was significantly decreased at 30 minutes after the interventions and at 10 minutes after needle removal in both groups (Group A: 35.77 mm and 39.62 mm less pain, respectively, on VAS; P < 0.001; Group B: 22.69 mm and 30.38 mm less pain, respectively, on VAS; P < 0.001). There was no significant difference in VAS-P [VAS for pain] scores after the interventions between the 2 groups (P > 0.05). Skin temperature at CV 4 was significantly increased after the intervention in group A only (P = 0.001). Conclusions: Both perpendicular and transverse needling at SP 6 had an immediate analgesic effect on primary dysmenorrhea. Proper needling techniques may be applied according to the tolerance of patients.

Acupuncture for Primary Dysmenorrhea: A Potential Mechanism from an Anti-Inflammatory Perspective

“…Dysmenorrhea with the congealing-cold syndrome is the most common pattern in TCM [112]. Previous clinical and animal studies have accordingly provided evidence that transverse needling on SP6 has outperformed in relieving menstrual pain with the congealing-cold syndrome via different pathways [113][114][115], supporting a classic acupuncture theory of "transverse needling benefits for reinforcing yang organs of the human body". erefore, it is recommended to conduct future acupuncture studies in line with the notion of emphasizing stimulation modes rather than acupoint selection alone.…”

Efficacy of acupuncture-related therapy in the treatment of primary dysmenorrhea: A network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

“…Common acupuncture techniques for treating PD in clinics include acupuncture (A), acupuncture + moxibustion (A + Mo), moxibustion (Mo), electroacupuncture (El), warm acupuncture (WA), heat-sensitive moxibustion (HsM), ginger-separated moxibustion (GsM), point embedding (PE), acupoint patching (AP), auricular point therapy (APT), and massage therapy (Ma). Acupuncture techniques, whether used alone or in combination, exert good effects in PD treatment [ [8] , [9] , [10] , [11] , [12] , [13] , [14] , [15] , [16] ]. Nowadays, many acupuncture techniques with different therapeutic advantages are available.…”

Immediate Analgesic Effect of Acupuncture in Patients With Primary Dysmenorrhea: A fMRI Study

“…In addition, a meta-analysis reported that acupoint stimulation has more significant effects on PDM than non-acupoint stimulation ( Chung et al, 2012 ). Moreover, studies on the analgesic effect of single acupoint stimulation have proved that acupuncture at Sanyinjiao (SP6) effectively relieves dysmenorrhea ( Liu et al, 2014 ; Hu and Liu, 2019 ), especially resulting in an immediate effect in PDM ( Liu et al, 2011 ; Shi et al, 2011 ; Mohammadi et al, 2019 ). However, the underlying mechanism by which acupuncture exerts an immediate analgesic effect in patients with PDM remains unclear.…”