Immediate effect of an acupressure strap simulating wrist-ankle acupuncture on menstrual pain in young women: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Background: Dysmenorrhea seriously affects the ability to perform normal social activities and decreases quality of life. Primary dysmenorrhea can be effectively treated with acupuncture. Based on the wrist-ankle acupuncture (WAA) theory, we designed a portable WAA point compression treatment strap that treats diseases by automatically applying pressure to acupuncture points. The proposed study aims to evaluate the analgesic effect of the acupressure wrist-ankle strap in patients with primary dysmenorrhea. Methods: The study will be a randomized controlled trial conducted from 1 May 2019 30 May 2020 that includes 78 students from Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine who have primary dysmenorrhea and meet the eligibility criteria. Participants will be randomly divided into two groups in a 1:1 allocation ratio. The intervention group will use the acupressure wrist-ankle strap equipped with tip compression component parts on the internal side; the control group will use the non-acupressure wrist-ankle strap with the tip compression parts removed. All participants will be treated for 30 min on the first day of menstruation. The main outcome measures are the pain intensity score measured by the visual analogue scale, and the onset time of analgesia. The secondary outcome measures are the pain threshold at Yinlingquan (SP 9) , skin temperature at Guanyuan (CV 4) , and expectations and satisfaction of patients as investigated via the Expectation and Treatment Credibility Scale. Discussion: This trial will be the first study to evaluate the analgesic effect of the acupressure wrist-ankle strap in patients with primary dysmenorrhea. The quality of this study is ensured by the strict randomization, non-acupressure control, and blinded design. The results may provide a potential alternative treatment for primary dysmenorrhea and evidence-based proof of the analgesic effect of WAA. Trial registration: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, ID: ChiCTR1900021727. Registered on 7 March 2019. http://www.chictr.org.cn/listbycreater.aspx