The Effect of Manual Acupressure (Point BL32) on Pain Associated with Intramuscular Injections of Magnesium Sulfate

• Main Authors: Seyed S. Najafi, Setareh Nazaribin, Marzieh Momennasab, Amin Kordi Yoosefinejad
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Medical Association of Pharmacopuncture Institute 2019-04-01
• Series: Journal of Acupuncture & Meridian Studies
• Online Access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2005290118300852

The aim of this study was determining the effect of acupressure on the severity of pain associated with intramuscular injections of magnesium sulfate administered by the Z-track technique in patients with eclampsia and preeclampsia. Forty-eight patients participated in this single-group clinical trial, which was conducted in three stages. For each patient, three intramuscular injections were administered by the Z-track technique. The first injection was administered by the conventional method. The second injection at a sham control point and the third injection using acupressure (BL32) were administered. Pain severity was measured on a visual analogue scale. The mean pain intensity was 7.22 in the first, 4.75 in the second and 1.94 in the third injections (p < 0.001). The results of the study showed that acupressure at the BL32 point before intramuscular injection of magnesium sulfate significantly reduced the injection-related pain. Keywords: acupressure, eclampsia, intramuscular, magnesium sulfate, pain, Z-track technique