Acupressure reduces the severity of restless legs syndrome in hemodialysis patients: A cluster-randomized crossover pilot study

Tsai, Li-Hung; Chen, Chuan-Mei; Lin, Li-Mei; Tsai, Ching-Ching; Han, Yuping; See, Lai‐Chu

doi:10.1016/j.bj.2021.05.005

Cited by 10 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…They found that the severity of RLS was alleviated through acupressure although no improvement of sleep quality could be observed. This however contradicts previous case reports and studies, and the team suspects that the contradiction might be caused by insufficient duration of acupressure application in their study [ 31 ].…”

Section: Also In This Issuecontrasting

confidence: 81%

A finger in every pie – The versatility of chemokines

Kattner¹

2022

Biomedical Journal

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Section: Also In This Issuecontrasting

confidence: 81%

A finger in every pie – The versatility of chemokines

Kattner¹

2022

Biomedical Journal

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“…This study uses a well-defined acupressure protocol that focuses on 6 specific acupuncture points, some of which have already been shown to be effective in previous acupuncture and acupressure studies in RLS [30,31,33] and were finally determined by consensus by our own experts in Chinese medicine with more than 25 years of acupuncture practice. A balance was reached between a sufficiently large number of acupoints to achieve an effect and a small number of points so that the daily time commitment for the patients remains manageable and feasible.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In a pilot study on the efficacy of acupressure in dialysis patients with RLS, a reduction in RLS severity was reported. [33] Several studies have demonstrated that acupressure can improve sleep-related symptoms, depression, anxiety, stress, pain, and psychological distress. [34][35][36][37][38][39][40] Hydrotherapy according to Sebastian Kneipp (1821-1897) is characterized by serial, mostly cold-water applications (e.g., affusions, compresses, washes) and has been known in Germanspeaking countries since the 19 th century for preventive health care and the treatment of various diseases.…”

Section: Background and Rationalementioning

confidence: 99%

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Hydrotherapy and acupressure in restless legs syndrome: A randomized, controlled, 3-armed, explorative clinical trial

Kubasch,

Ortiz,

Binting

et al. 2023

Medicine

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Background: Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a common neurological disease that has a significant impact on daily activities and quality of life, for which there is often no satisfactory therapy. Complementary medicine, such as acupressure and hydrotherapy, is used to treat patients with RLS; however, the clinical evidence is unclear. This study aims to investigate the effects and feasibility of self-administered hydrotherapy and acupressure in patients with RLS. Methods: This is a randomized, controlled, open-label, exploratory, clinical study with 3 parallel arms, comparing both self-applied hydrotherapy (according to the German non-medical naturopath Sebastian Kneipp) and acupressure in addition to routine care in comparison to routine care alone (waiting list control) in patients with RLS. Fifty-one patients with at least moderate restless-legs syndrome will be randomized. Patients in the hydrotherapy group will be trained in the self-application of cold knee/lower leg affusions twice daily for 6 weeks. The acupressure group will be trained in the self-application of 6-point-acupressure therapy once daily for 6 weeks. Both interventions take approximately 20 minutes daily. The 6-week mandatory study intervention phase, which is in addition to the patient preexisting routine care treatment, is followed by a 6-week follow-up phase with optional interventions. The waitlist group will not receive any study intervention in addition to their routine care before the end of week 12. Outcome parameters including RLS-severity, disease and health-related quality of life (RLS-QoL, SF-12), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Score in German version, general self-efficacy scale, and study intervention safety will be measured at baseline and after 6 and 12 weeks. The statistical analyses will be descriptive and exploratory. Conclusion: In the case of clinically relevant therapeutic effects, feasibility, and therapeutic safety, the results will be the basis for planning a future confirmatory randomized trial and for helping to develop further RLS self-treatment concepts.

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“…EA at the body acupoints may enhance blood flow, release neuromediators that regulate physical functions, calm the body to induce sleepiness, and improve the quality of sleep. A cluster randomized crossover pilot study showed pressing leg acupoints decreased aberrant leg activity and nighttime activity in patients with RLS ( 19 ). A study demonstrated that EA activated the signal of BDNF/TrkB/Erk to promote the survival and synaptic plasticity of hippocampal neurons, which alleviates spatial memory impairment induced by sleep deprivation ( 20 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Electro-acupuncture on Vascular Parkinsonism with multiple sleep disorders: A Case Report

YAN

Fan

et al. 2022

Front. Neurol.

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Vascular Parkinsonism (VP) is a kind of rare secondary Parkinsonism caused by vascular lesions. Patients with VP experience not only movement disorders but also sleep disorders. But treatment options are limited and often associated with undesirable adverse effects. Electro-acupuncture (EA) is a safe, rapid work, easy operation, and convenient complementary replacement therapy. We report a case of a 51-year-old man who presented with VP and multiple sleep disorders. Based on clinical evaluation and nocturnal hospital-based polysomnography (PSG), the patient had severe PLMD (PSG showed severe periodic leg movements), excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS, the score of the ESS is 16), and probable rapid eye movement sleep disorder (RBD). Parkinson's disease sleep scale (PDSS) score, Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI), and periodic leg movements index were 93, 11, and 135.2, respectively. After 8 weeks of EA treatment, the patient reported that the symptoms of subjective and objective sleep disturbance were significantly alleviated without any discomfort. This case report may provide a new alternative and complementary therapy for VP patients with sleep disturbance but more definitive and robust evidence is needed to support its efficacy.

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Acupressure reduces the severity of restless legs syndrome in hemodialysis patients: A cluster-randomized crossover pilot study

Cited by 10 publications

References 43 publications

A finger in every pie – The versatility of chemokines

A finger in every pie – The versatility of chemokines

Hydrotherapy and acupressure in restless legs syndrome: A randomized, controlled, 3-armed, explorative clinical trial

Electro-acupuncture on Vascular Parkinsonism with multiple sleep disorders: A Case Report

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