Having menstrual cramps? Try acupuncture mobile apps

December 11, 2017

Women with intense menstrual cramp pain may get more relief from smartphone app-guided acupressure than with typical medical treatments like painkillers, a recent study suggests.

Some previous research has linked acupressure – which uses precise finger placements at pressure points throughout the body to relieve pain – with reduced discomfort from menstrual cramps. To see if a smartphone app could help women self-administer acupressure for cramps, researchers randomly assigned 221 women to use the app or to stick with usual care for six months.

By the end of the study, women who used the acupressure app reported significantly less menstrual pain than women who didn’t, the study found.

“Because women with menstrual pain already practice self-management, an app for acupressure can be easily added,” said senior study author Dr. Claudia Witt of the Institute for Complementary and Integrative Medicine at the University of Zurich in Switzerland.

“It is wise to try first non-pharmacological interventions, with a good safety profile, before using a painkiller that can have side effects,” Witt said by email.

The target audience for the app, young women in their 20s and 30s, already use their phones for a variety of different tasks, making it natural for them to consider an app that teaches them how to use pressure points to ease menstrual pain, researchers note in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Witt’s team developed their own app, called AKUD, based on a consensus of acupressure experts from China, Germany and the U.S. For the current study, the researchers offered the app to women ages 18 to 34 in Berlin between 2012 and 2015.

All of the women reported their own pain levels for menstrual cramps on a scale of zero to 10, with 10 being the worst. At the start of the study, women reported pain of at least 6 on this scale.

Each participant was given an app to use for six months, but only half of the women had an app with an acupressure program. The rest had a “sham” app that didn’t offer any new ways of treating pain from cramps.

By the time women in the study went through their third menstrual cycle, participants using the acupressure app reported average pain scores of 4.4, compared with 5.0 for the other women in the study.

By the sixth menstrual cycle, women with the acupressure app reported pain scores that were typically 1.4 points lower, a large enough gap to represent a clinically meaningful difference.

With acupressure, women were also less likely to use pain medications and reported fewer days with pain during their monthly menstrual cycles, the researchers also found.

One limitation of the study is that most of the participants were highly educated and prone to intense menstrual cramps, which means the results might not represent what would happen for all women experiencing menstrual pain, the authors note.

Even so, the results suggest that an acupressure app may offer some women a good approach to managing menstrual pain, said Caroline Smith, an acupressure researcher at Western Sydney University in Australia who wasn’t involved in the study but who is developing a mass-distribution app for this purpose.

“Adherence suggests the app was acceptable, and the reduction in pain over time was clinically meaningful with few side effects,” Smith said by email. “This app is relevant to women who are looking for evidenced-based self-care options to manage their pain, although as the authors point out further research to address a more generalizable group of women is needed.”

Tags:

Category: Features, Rehabilitative care, Technology & Devices

Comments are closed.

Subscribe to HCA for exclusive updates

Top Viewed News

12 simple steps to a healthy lifestyle

12 simple steps to a healthy lifestyle

Now that the world has returned to normalcy following the pandemic, everyone is back to their daily routines and encounters with stress... Read More

AZBIL: Envisioning the Future of Hospitals

AZBIL: Envisioning the Future of Hospitals

As we strive to be the hospital of choice, why not refine our commitment to excellence beyond the pivotal mission of saving lives?... Read More

Study Unlocks Key Findings on Asian Carriers of Breast Cancer

Study Unlocks Key Findings on Asian Carriers of Breast Cancer

Malaysian researchers at Cancer Research Malaysia (CRMY) and the University of Nottingham Malaysia (UNM) have published... Read More

 Unmasking the Risks of Mercury-Laden Cosmetics

Unmasking the Risks of Mercury-Laden Cosmetics

As the saying goes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and thus subjective; but in some countries, the ideal of beauty begins... Read More

5 key hospital etiquettes to be mindful of when visiting a sick patient

5 key hospital etiquettes to be mindful of when visiting a sick patient

In moments of illness, the presence of loved ones can comfort and support. However, it’s important for visitors... Read More

Free counters!

2025 – 2026 Exhibitions



2025 Events


9-11 July
Medical Device Development (MEDIX) – Osaka
Makuhari Messe, Japan
www.manufacturing-world.jp


14-16 July
Lab Asia
Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC), Malaysia
www.lab-asia.com


16-18 July
Medlab Asia | Asia Health
Malaysia International Trade & Exhibition Centre, Kuala Lumpur
www.medlabasia.com


24 July
Medlab Asia | Asia Health
Singapore
www.conversationaltechsummitasia.com


13-15 August
Philippines Medical
SMX Convention Center Manila Philippines
www.philmedical.com


21-23 August
REHACARE China
Suzhou, China
www.rehacare-c.com


21-23 August
Medical Fair China
Suzhou, China
www.medicalfair.cn


3-5 September
Thailand Lab International
BITEC, Bangkok, Thailand
www.thailandlab.com


3-5 September
Bio Ap International
BITEC, Bangkok
www.bioapinter.com


9-12 September
China Dental Show
National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai)
www.chinadentalshow.com


10-11 September
Hospital Management Asia
Shangri-La Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
www.hospitalmanagementasia.com


10-12 September
Medical Fair Thailand
BITEC, Bangkok
www.medicalfair-thailand.com


10-12 September
GITEX Digi Health & Biotech Thailand
BITEC, Bangkok
www.www.gitexdigihealth.com


11-13 September
Bio Asia Pacific
BITEC, Bangkok
www.bioasiapacific.com


16-18 September
OSH India
Hall-6, Bombay Exhibition Centre, Goregaon (E)
www.oshindia.com


24-26 September
Medtec China
Shanghai, China
www.en.medtecchina.com


7-9 October
Malaysia Pharma and Healthcare Expo
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
www.mphcexpo.com


9-11 October
Medical Japan Tokyo
Makuhari Messe, Japan
www.medical-jpn.jp


17-19 October
Health Asia
BITEC, Bangkok
www.health-asia.com


17-19 October
Health Asia
BITEC, Bangkok
www.health-asia.com


29-30 October
United Medical Expo
Astana, Kazakhstan
www.umtexpo.com


7-8 November
Eldercare Exhibition and Conference Asia (ELDEX Asia)
Suntex Singapore Exhibition and Convention Centre
www.eldexasia.com


10-12 November
Saudi International Pharma Expo
Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Center
www.saudipharmaexpo.com


10-12 November
Saudi International MedLab Expo
Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Center
www.saudimedlabexpo.com


27-29 November
International Wellness Expo (IWE 2025)
METIC, Malaysia
www.internationalwellnessexpo.com


27-29 November
Vietnam Medi-Pharm
Friendship Cultural Palace , Hanoi
www.vietnammedipharm.vn


2026 Events


9-12 Febuary
Arab Health
Dubai World Trade Centre
www.arabhealthonline.com


15-17 April
Lab Indonesia
Jakarta Convention Center, Jakarta, Indonesia
www.lab-indo.com


28-30 April
SEACare
MITEC, KL
wwww.ea-healthcare.com


6-7 May
HealthTechX Asia
Sands Expo & Convention Centre, Singapore
www.healthtechx-asia.com


4-6 June
International Health Industry Expo
China
www.ihe-china.com


16-18 June
CPhI China
SNIEC, Shanghai, China
www.cphi.com


25-27 June
Medical Taiwan
Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center, Taipei, Taiwan
www.medicaltaiwan.com.tw


9-11 September
Medical Fair Asia
Marina Bay Sands, Singapore
www.medicalfair-asia.com


9-11 September
Medical Manufacturing Asia
Marina Bay Sands, Singapore
www.medmanufacturing-asia.com


1-2 October
GITEX Vietnam
Hanoi
www.gitexasia.com