[Clinical observation on acupressure at Jiaji points for irritable bowel syndrome]

To evaluate clinical efficacy of acupressure at Jiaji points for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and explore its pathogenesis and treatment law.

Sixty outpatient cases of IBS from 2010 to 2012 were selected and randomly divided into an acupressure group and a medication group, 30 cases in each one. The acupressure at Jiaji points was applied in the acupressure group while pinaverium bromide tablet was orally prescribed in the medication group. The bowel symptom scale (BSS) was adapted to sore symptoms before and after the treatment, the improvement rate was adopted and results were analyzed.

The difference of BSS score in two groups after the treatment had statistical significance (both P<0.01). The efficacy in the acupressure group was superior to that in the medication group, which had significant difference (P<0.01). The improvement rate was 90.0% (27/ 30) in the acupressure group, which was better than 50.0% (15/30) in the medication group (P<0.01). The location of abdominal pain in IBS was lower abdomen while treatment location was from 11th thoracic vertebra to 1st lumbar vertebra.

The acupressure at Jiaji points could balance yin and yang in spine to quickly relive symptoms of IBS. The attack of IBS has some relationship with thoracic and lumbar vertebras.