Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Degree

Master of Arts

Program

Kinesiology

Supervisor

Alan Salmoni

Abstract

Background: Menstrual migraine (MM) is one kind of migraine associated with females’ menses. It is often associated with increased menstrual distress and disability, leading to decreased daily activity and quality of life. Purpose: To make comparisons between acupuncture and acupressure for preventing MM. Design: A randomized and controlled pilot study with three groups: verum acupuncture (VA) group, acupressure (AP) group, and control acupuncture (CA) group. The study lasted for seven cycle-months, with a 1-cycle-month baseline observation (T1), a 3-cycle-month intervention (three times per cycle-month) (T2-T4), and a 3-cycle-month follow-up (T5-T7). Outcome measures: number of migraine days, average and peak pain, total duration period of MM, and percentage of patients with ≥ 50% reduction in the number of MM days. Results: A total of 18 participants were included in the analysis (VA, n = 7; AP, n = 6; CA, n = 5). Both VA and AP were significantly more effective than CA for reducing MM days during intervention period. Both VA and AP tended to be more effective than CA for reducing peak pain of MM during intervention period. No significant differences for the outcomes were observed among VA, AP, and CA during follow-up period. No serious adverse events were reported. Conclusion: Results of the pilot study suggests that both VA and AP could be considered as alternative and safe prophylactic interventions for MM. Register ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02592681.

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