Effect of Acupressure on Low Back Pain and Fatigue after Coronary Artery Angioplasty through Femoral Artery: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial

Background and purpose: Complaints of low back pain and fatigue caused by prolonged lying on the back are complications of angioplasty. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of acupressure on severity of low back pain and fatigue in patients after coronary artery angioplasty through femoral artery. Materials and methods: A simple randomized controlled clinical trial was carried out in three groups of patients (n= 75); experimental group, pseudo-intervention group, and control group. The study was performed in Sari Fatemeh Al-Zahra Hospital affiliated with Mazandaran University Medical Sciences, 2021. In experimental group, acupressure was applied to four points, including ST36, GV26, SI3, and BL60, each for two minutes, at two, four, six, and eight hours after angioplasty. In pseudo-intervention group, all measures performed in the experimental group were done without putting pressure. The control group received no intervention. The severity of low back pain was measured using Visual Analogue Scale and the severity of fatigue was measured using Visual Analog Fatigue Scale before and after the intervention. Data were analyzed applying descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: Severity of back pain significantly decreased in experimental group after four hours (P=0.001), six hours (P<0.001), and eight hours (P=0.01) following angioplasty compared with other groups. Also, in this group, severity of fatigue significantly decreased after four hours (P<0.001) and six hours (P<0.001) following angioplasty when compared to other two groups. Conclusion: Acupressure was effective in reducing the severity of low back pain and fatigue in patients undergoing angioplasty. Therefore, this method can be introduced as an easy, non-invasive and helpful method in reducing the severity of low back pain and fatigue in these patients. (Clinical Trials Registry Number: IRCT20151004024342N7)