title: An experimental study on the effectiveness of acupressure with aromatic lavender essential oil for sub-acute, non-specific neck pain in Hong Kong.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the efficacy of acupressure using an aromatic essential oil (lavender) as an add-on treatment for pain relief and enhancing physical functional activities among adults with sub-acute non-specific neck pain.
  
  
  METHODS
  Experimental study design.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Telehealth clinic and the community centre, Hong Kong.
  
  
  METHODS
  A course of 8-session manual acupressure with lavender oil over a 3 week period.
  
  
  METHODS
  Changes from baseline to the end of treatment were assessed on neck pain intensity [by Visual Analogue Scale (VAS)]; stiffness level; stress level; neck lateral flexion, forward flexion and extension in cm, and interference with daily activities.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The baseline VAS score for the intervention and control groups were 5.12 and 4.91 out of 10, respectively (P = 0.72). One month after the end of treatment, compared to the control group, the manual acupressure group had 23% reduced pain intensity (P = 0.02), 23% reduced neck stiffness (P = 0.001), 39% reduced stress level (P = 0.0001), improved neck flexion (P = 0.02), neck lateral flexion (P = 0.02), and neck extension (P = 0.01). However, improvements in functional disability level were found in both the manual acupressure group (P = 0.001) and control group (P = 0.02).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results show that eight sessions of acupressure with aromatic lavender oil were an effective method for short-term neck pain relief.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong, PR China. hsvyip@inet.polyu.edu.hk
authors.forename: Y B
authors.initials: YB
authors.lastname: Yip
authors.forename: Sonny Hing-Min
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Tse
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D019050:Acupressure / Q000379:methods*; D015669:Acupuncture Points; D000279:Administration, Cutaneous; D015982:Bias; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006723:Hong Kong; D006801:Humans; D027523:Lavandula; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019547:Neck Pain / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D009822:Oils, Volatile / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D010938:Plant Oils / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D009822:Oils, Volatile; D010938:Plant Oils; C045718:lavender oil