Effects of acupressure and ibuprofen on the severity of primary dysmenorrhea.

The present study aims at comparing the effects of acupressure using new combination of acupoints, and Ibuprofen on the severity of primary dysmenorrhea (PD). 216 female high school students, aged between 14 to 18 years, were randomly selected and divided into three groups. Each group underwent different treatment techniques: acupressure, Ibuprofen and sham acupressure as a placebo. The results indicated that the three therapeutic techniques were significantly effective in reducing the pain. However the therapeutic efficacies of acupressure and Ibuprofen were similar with no significant difference, and were significantly better than the placebo. Thus acupressure, with no complications, is recommended as an alternative and also a better choice in the decrease of the severity of PD.