Effect of Acupressure on Severity of Pain in Arthritis Rheumatoid Patient

Background and Objective: Rheumatoid arthritis patients have identified pain as a distressing symptom that interfere their ability to enjoy life and to take care of themselves. The purpose of the study was to assess the effect of acupressure on pain intensity in rheumatoid arthritis patients.Subjects and Methods: This is a clinical trial study. The data were collected from the clinic of rheumatology of Golestan hospital in Ahvaz, physician’s private surgery and patient’s home. Regarding the objectives of the study, 60 patients were randomly divided into two acupressure and control groups. The main outcomes measured were the demographic form and VAS scale that were collected at first and last intervention sessions. Acupressure was a accomplished with direct finger pressure at 1 minute in Hegu, Quchi, Zusanli and Taichong in 12 sessions, control group did not received complementary treatment. The data were analyzed with SPSS version 17 and paired t-test test.Results: There was not a significant difference between the averages of pain intensity in acupressure and control groups at pre- and post-treatment (P=0.813). Conclusion: Despite lack of significant effects of acupuncture on the severity of pain in rheumatoid arthritis patients, further research in the field of acupressure is recommended.