The Effect of Acupressure on Pain in Cancer Patients With Bone Metastasis: A Nonrandomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

Background: Pain is a serious and common problem in bone metastases. For this purpose, complementary and supportive practices are also applied along with medical treatment. This study was conducted for the purpose of evaluating the effect of acupressure on pain in cancer patients with bone metastasis. Methods: The study was conducted in a nonrandomized controlled trial with patients who applied to the radiotherapy unit of an oncology hospital. The data of the study were collected by using a questionnaire and the Visual Analog Scale. A total of 8 acupressure sessions, which lasted for approximately 10 minutes each (with warming and acupressure periods), was applied to the intervention group. The data were analyzed by using χ2 test, paired t test, and Pearson’s correlation coefficient. Results: It was determined that the pain mean score of the intervention group was 7.6 ± 1.9 before the acupressure and decreased to 6.8 ± 1.9 after the acupressure and this result was statistically significant. On the other hand, no significant difference was determined in the pain mean score of the control group. Conclusions: Acupressure is applicable for cancer patients with bone metastasis by nursing staff after receiving brief training and may make a difference in relieving pain of the patients. Further well-designed trials should be conducted.

Cancer Patients for Pain Complementaries and Integrated Approaches Used in Palliative Care

“…The aim of acupressure which is a noninvasive treatment method applied by applying pressure with finger, palm or special bands to certain points that provide energy flow in the body, activating blood circulation, providing neurological effect and relaxation, thus reducing the pain of the individual and thus maintaining the normal functions of the body [56][57][58]. In studies with patients with cancer pain; It is stated that acupressure application reduces pain and provides relief by reducing tension in muscles and this result is the preliminary evidence of acupressure's pain reduction effect [59][60][61].…”

Dolor, cáncer, pseudociencias y mala ciencia: a propósito de un caso

“…Por otro lado, nos gustaría destacar que Eaton y Hullet 9 han incluido en su revisión sistemática los resultados del reciente artículo de Serçe y colaboradores 15 , el cual concluye que la acupresión reduce el dolor óseo en individuos (n = 60) con cáncer metastásico (p = 0,004). Sin embargo, las autoras de la revisión han fallado en su interpretación de la literatura científica, ya que una revisión más exhaustiva revelaría que hay importantes fallos que ya se han informado 16 respecto al ensayo de Serçe y colaboradores, y que los propios autores reconocieron que no hubo diferencias entre los grupos de su experimento (grupo experimental y grupo control) por lo que no hay efecto descrito en ese estudio 17 .…”

“…Creemos que la conclusión es especulativa basada en la debilidad de los dos ensayos incluidos 13,15 y que por tanto se deberían modificar las recomendaciones sobre la dosificación, la duración y la seguridad de la acupresión en la revisión de Eaton y Hullet 9 .…”

“…Reconocemos que el problema con la selección del estudio de Serçe y colaboradores 15 es un problema derivado del propio sistema de publicación, ya que, en este momento, coexisten simultáneamente en la literatura dos artículos que dan resultados opuestos al mismo estudio en la literatura.…”

Statistical Concerns About Acupressure on Pain in Cancer Patients With Bone Metastasis Trial

“…It is with great interest that we read the article by Serçe et al, 1 describing the effect of acupressure on pain in cancer patients with bone metastasis. The authors conclude that acupressure is applicable for cancer patients with bone metastasis by nursing staff after receiving brief training and may make a difference in relieving pain of those patients.…”