Massage-therapy and post cesarean pain control

Abstract

Introduction: Cesarean section is a common surgical surgery in women, and post-cesarean pain and stress are the problems which are faced by young women keen to care of their newborns. Post-operative pain management reduces patient's discomfort, enables quicker walking, reduces hospital stay, and increases patient's satisfaction. This study was performed with aim to determine the effect of massage on post-cesarean pain. Methods: This single-blind clinical trial was conducted on 156 primiparous women referred to Amol Emam Ali hospital for elective cesarean section from 2014 to 2015. The samples were randomly divided into three groups including hands and foot massage, foot massage, and control groups (n=52 in each group). The, four hours after receiving analgesics, patients' pain intensity and vital signs were measured before, immediately after, and 90 minutes after the massage. Data were analyzed using SPSS software (version 22) and STATA software (version 12). P<0.05 was considered significant. Results: A significant reduction was observed in pain intensity immediately and 90 minutes after massage in intervention groups (P<0.001), but the difference between two intervention groups was not statistically significant (P=0.98). Moreover, changes in physiological parameters (blood pressure and respiration) were also significant after massage (P<0.001). However, changes in pulse rate were not significant. Also, a significant reduction in level of anxiety was observed after massage (P<0.001). Conclusion: Massage of hands and feet as an effective intervention with no nursing side-effect can be helpful in care and control of postoperative pain in patients.

Keywords

• cesarean
• massage
• pain