Needle tecnique

Deep and shallow needling both effective for period pain

Both perpendicular and transverse needling at Sanyinjiao SP-6 have an immediate analgesic effect in women with primary dysmenorrhoea (PD). Twenty-six participants with PD were randomly allocated to either a perpendicular needling group or a transverse needling group. Acupuncture was carried out while the patient was experiencing pain on the first day of menstruation and performed only once. In the perpendicular needling group, acupuncture needles were inserted perpendicularly at bilateral Sanyinjiao SP-6 to a depth of 1–1.2 cun to induce deqi. In the transverse needling group, needles were inserted at Sanyinjiao SP-6 transversely 1–1.2 cun toward the abdomen, without inducing deqi. Severity of dysmenorrhoea was found to be significantly decreased at the end of the 30 minute needle retention period and at 10 minutes after needle removal in both groups. There were no significant differences in pain scores after intervention between the two groups, although skin temperature at Guanyuan REN-4 was significantly increased after the intervention in the perpendicular needling group.

Immediate Analgesic Effect of Perpendicular Needling or Transverse Needling at SP 6 in Primary Dysmenorrhea: A Pilot Study. Med Acupunct. 2019 Aug 1;31(4):207-217