Successful treatment of primary dysmenorrhea by collateral meridian acupressure therapy.

OBJECTIVES: This case report describes the observation of relief from painful dysmenorrhea and its associated symptoms in a female patient having primary dysmenorrhea after collateral meridian acupressure therapy (CMAT) treatment. CLINICAL FEATURES: A 36-year-old female patient presented with primary dysmenorrhea (abdominal cramping and referred lower back pain). She previously had taken oral analgesic pills to alleviate her symptoms during the menstrual period. The observation period was 6 months. INTERVENTION AND OUTCOME: Collateral meridian acupressure therapy was performed once on the second day of both the first (partial treatment) and fourth (complete treatment) menstrual period. Pain was resolved immediately after partial CMAT treatment during the first menstrual period, but the pain recurred 20 minutes later. Satisfactory results were obtained during the fourth menstrual period after complete CMAT treatment, which were also carried over to the next session (fifth menstrual period). In addition, no oral analgesics were necessary after treatment. However, the symptoms of dysmenorrhea recurred 2 months after treatment (sixth menstrual period). CONCLUSION: This case report indicates that CMAT treatment may be effective in relieving the associated symptoms of dysmenorrhea. The carryover effect might suggest that there is a potential to produce a long-lasting effect on dysmenorrhea. Copyright 2010 National University of Health Sciences. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.