Influence of on the immediate analgesic effect of SP6 acupuncture in patients with primary dysmenorrhoea and : a multicentre randomised controlled trial.

Objective: The aim of this multicentre randomised controlled trial was to investigate the contribution of to the immediate analgesic effect of acupuncture in patients with primary dysmenorrhoea and the specific traditional Chinese medicine diagnosis .

Method: Eighty-eight patients with primary dysmenorrhoea and were randomly assigned to (n=43) or no (n=45) groups and underwent 30 min of SP6 acupuncture. The group received deep needling at SP6 with manipulation using thick needles; the no group received shallow needling with no manipulation using thin needles. In both groups the pain scores and actual sensation were evaluated using a visual analogue scale for pain (VAS-P) and the acupuncture clinical assessment scale (ADCAS), respectively.

Results: Both groups showed reductions in VAS-P, with no signficant differences between groups. ADCAS scores showed 43/43 and 25/45 patients in and no groups, respectively, actually experienced sensation. Independent of original group allocation, VAS-P reductions associated with actual (n=68) were greater than those without (28.4±18.19 mm vs 14.6±12.28 mm, p=0.008).

Conclusions: This study showed no significant difference in VAS-P scores in patients with primary dysmenorrhoea and immediately after SP6 acupuncture designed to induce or avoid sensation. Both treatments significantly reduced VAS-P relative to baseline. Irrespective of group allocation, patients experiencing actual sensation demonstrated larger reductions in pain score relative to those without, suggesting greater analgesic effects.

Trial Registration Number: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR-TRC-13003086); Results.