Acupressure as a Complementary Intervention for Reducing Blood Pressure and Headache Intensity in Hypertensive Patients: A Pre-Experimental Study
Nunung Hasanah (a), Marita Ayu Setyaningtyas (a), Sri Mumpuni Yuniarsih (a*, b), Falasifah Ani Yuniarti (c)

a) Nusing Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universitas Pekalongan, Central Java, Indonesia
b) Research Fellow at Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta
c) Paediatric Nursing, Nursing Profession Education, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, 55183 Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta, Indonesia

Abstract

Background: Hypertension affects approximately 1.28 billion adults aged 30-79 years worldwide, two-thirds of whom reside in low- and middle-income countries, including Indonesia (WHO, 2023). It is one of the most prevalent non-communicable diseases in Indonesia. Non-pharmacological interventions, such as acupressure, offer a complementary approach to hypertension management.
Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of acupressure as a complementary intervention in reducing blood pressure and headache intensity among patients with hypertension.
Methods: A quantitative pre-experimental study with a one-group pre-post-tests design was conducted involving 17 participants. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure and headache intensity (Numeric Rating Scale, NRS) were measured before and after three acupressure sessions. Data were analysed using the non-parametric Wilcoxon signed-rank test.
Results: The mean systolic blood pressure decreased from 162.18 mmHg to 123.00 mmHg and the mean diastolic blood pressure from 97.29 mmHg to 79.82 mmHg. The mean NRS score decreased from 6.76 to 0.29. Significant differences were found between the values before and after the intervention for systolic blood pressure (p = 0.000), diastolic blood pressure (p = 0.004) and NRS scores (p = 0.000).
Conclusion: Acupressure significantly reduced systolic and diastolic blood pressure, as well as headache intensity, in patients with hypertension after three treatment sessions. This supports its role as a complementary intervention in hypertension management.

Keywords: blood pressure, headache, hypertension, acupressure, complementary therapy

Topic: Nursing Care and Technology Development