Effect of Acupressure in The Management of Postmenopausal Constipation

Background: Constipation is a common condition among postmenopausal women, significantly impacting their psychological well-being, physical health, and social functioning. Acupressure has been shown to alleviate some symptoms of constipation by promoting intestinal peristalsis and enhancing bowel motility.
Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the effect of acupressure in the management of constipation in postmenopausal women.
Subjects and Methods: Sixty participants with functional constipation diagnosis, ages 50-60 years and BMI 25-30 kg/m², were selected from the Obstetrics and Gynecology outpatient clinic at El-Salam Hospital, Cairo, Egypt. Random assignment created two equal groups: study group (A) (n=30) underwent acupressure on the san jio 6/ stomach 25/ spleen 15/ joining vally " large intestine 4 ") acupoints, 1 minute for each point with 3 repetitions on both sides about 30 minutes/ session, 3 weekly sessions, alongside diaphragmatic breathing exercises for 15 minutes and general bowel care advices, for 6 weeks, control group (B) (n=30) performed diaphragmatic breathing exercises for 15 minutes, 3 session / week in addition to general bowel care advices only as in group (A) for 6 weeks. Evaluation of constipation symptoms and quality of life (QOL) in both groups (A&B) were performed pre-study and post-study utilizing (PAC –SYM) and (PAC–QOL) questionnaires respectively.
Results: The findings demonstrated a statistically significant reduction in the mean constipation symptom severity scores in both groups (A and B) following the intervention, with Group A showing significantly greater improvement (P = 0.001). Additionally, analysis revealed a statistically significant improvement in median quality of life scores post-intervention compared to baseline in both groups (P = 0.001), with Group A again exhibiting superior outcomes.
Conclusion: Acupressure application is beneficial in alleviating severity of constipation symptoms, and improving QOL for postmenopausal women, suffering from functional constipation.