Effect of Acupressure Technique on Constipation in Patients with Acute Phase of Stroke

Abstract

Constipation is actually a common problem after stroke, it can pose a significant risk to stroke survivors. The reasons for constipation after stroke can be multifactorial, including reduced mobility, changes in diet, and medications. The purpose of this study is to determine whether acupressure can improve bowel movement in patients with stroke. A quasi-experimental study was conducted from September 4, 2023, until June 9, 2024, at Imam Al-Hussein Medical City. A purposive sampling was used to enroll fifty-eight patients with stroke, who afterwards were allocated into intervention and control groups. For three days, patients in the intervention group were taught to apply acupressure technique, spending three minutes each day on the acupressure points of LI4, LI3, and SJ6. On the other hand, patients in the control group only received conventional therapy. The Wexner constipation questioner, the constipation assessment scale, and the sociodemographic and clinical data constituted the three elements of the study tool. Both a descriptive and inferential statistical procedures, such as the independent sample t-test and paired sample t-test, were employed to assess and establish the outcomes of the study. A p-value less than 0.05 was deemed to indicate statistical significance. At pre-test results showed that most patients in the control and intervention groups (92.9%) and (96.7%%) had severe constipation, whereas post-test results showed that 0.0% and 92.9% of patients in the intervention group had severe constipation. A significant difference at a p-value of 0.000 was found between the two-time assessment of intervention group after the application of acupressure technique. Acupressure technique was applied for 9 minutes, 3 minutes on each of LI4, LI3 and SJ6 acupressure points, twice a day for three days’ duration are effective methods for improving bowel movement in patient with stroke