The Changes in the Neck Meridian Test Scores Induced by Self-Administered Acupressure: A Secondary Analysis of Data from a Randomized Controlled Trial of Self-Administered Acupressure
- 1 Faculty of Social Welfare, Iwate Prefectural University, Takizawa, Japan
- 2 Fukuoka Tenjin Medical Rehabilitation Academy, Fukuoka, Japan
Abstract
In the neck meridian test, the examinee stretches his or her neck in four directions and rates the intensity of pain and/or symptoms on a four point Likert scale. The four responses are summed to calculate the test score. This study conducted secondary analyses of data from a randomized controlled trial of self-administered acupressure. The study aimed to examine the change of the neck meridian test score induced by self-administered acupressure. The data of 54 (male, n = 34; female, n = 20) students, who were randomly assigned to an intervention group (IG) and a control group (CG), were subjected to secondary analyses. The IG participants were asked to complete a self-administered acupressure intervention for two weeks; the CG participants were not. In the IG, the perceived stress decreased significantly over time, while the neck meridian test score decreased significantly; in contrast, this score increased in the CG. A significant positive correlation was found between the changes in the perceived stress and neck meridian test scores. These results supported validity of the neck meridian test as a tool for assessing perceived stress.
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