[ effect of massage therapy on the severity of labor in primiparous women]

ABSTRACT

Labor pain is the most severe pain that most of women experience it. Using novel and supportive methods of relieving labor pains such as massage therapy, labor could be a pleasant and enjoyable experience. This study was conducted to determine the effect of massage therapy on the severity of labor pain in primiparous women. In this clinical trial study a total of 60 primiparous women who were hospitalized in Mahdieh and Hedayat hospitals of Tehran were selected using simple random sampling and randomly divided into two groups of control and case [massage therapy]. The severity of pain before intervention [at the beginning of active phase] in the 4, 8, and 10 cm cervical dilation was measured in both groups by means of a Visual Analogue Scale [VAS]. Duration of the first and the second and type of delivery in both groups were investigated. Data in the two groups were compared using independent t and Chai-square tests. Before intervention, the results indicated that there was no significant difference between the two groups. Mean of severity of pain [at the beginning of the active phase] was 5.88 +/- 1.07 and 6.75 +/- 1.39 in the case the control, respectively [P<0.01]. At the beginning of transitional phase, it was 7.09 +/- 0.89 and 8.54 +/- 1.06 [P<0.05] and at the end of the first stage was 9.16 +/- and 9.73, respectively [P<0.05]. The duration of the first stage of the delivery in the case and control was 246.16 +/- 98.82 and 362.50 +/- 111.84, respectively. Regarding the effect of massage therapy in both decreasing of labor pain and in the acceleration of delivery, education and then using of the method in labor centers would result in decreasing of proposed caesarean sections