[The effects of abdominal meridian massage on menstrual cramps and dysmenorrhea in full-time employed women].
OBJECTIVE
This study was designed to examine the effects of abdominal meridian(Kyongrak) massage on menstrual cramps and dysmenorrhea.


METHODS
Eighty-five women (of 110 screened) enrolled in this study and were employed full-time with more than 6.0 points (in 0-10.0 VAS scale) in menstrual cramps or more than 20 points on the dysmenorrhea scale (range 13-52). The forty-two participants in the experimental group received abdominal meridian massage for 5 minutes per day during 6 days from the fifth day before menstruation to the first day of menstruation and the forty-three participants in the control group didn't receive any treatment. Data were collected from June 1st to August 30th, 2003 and analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi2-test, and t-test.


RESULTS
Menstrual cramps and dysmenorrhea of the experimental group were significantly lower after abdominal meridian massage than those of the control group (p<.001).


CONCLUSIONS
Abdominal meridian(Kyongrak) massage was very effective for relief of menstrual cramps and dysmenorrhea. Therefore, we suggest that abdominal Kyongrak massage can be a useful nursing intervention for women with menstrual cramps or dysmenorrhea.
Kim
Jung-Soon
JS
Department of Nursing, College of Medicine, Pusan National University, Busan, Korea.
Jo
Young-Ja
YJ
Hwang
Sun-Kyung
SK
D000005:Abdomen; D019050:Acupressure; D000328:Adult; D004412:Dysmenorrhea / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008405:Massage / Q000379:methods; D016740:Meridians; D008875:Middle Aged; D014931:Women, Working