[Abdominal massage as intervention for patients with paraplegia caused by spinal cord injury--a pilot study]

Patients with paraplegia caused by spinal cord injuries have to deal with the loss of the central nervous regulation of the bowel functions. The management of defaecation can take a lot of their daily time. To support the colon motility, different methods of abdominal massage are used in nursing practice. But a review of current international literature reveals, that there is still a lack of evidence for the effect of abdominal massage on defaecation. In order to prove this effect, a pilot study was conducted using a quasi-experimental design with time series and including seven patients with paraplegia caused by spinal cord injury. Data were collected over three weeks: one week before intervention, during the intervention week and one week after intervention. In the intervention week, the patients received a specific abdominal massage each morning before breakfast. Following outcome-criteria have been considered: frequency and duration of defaecation, amount and consistency of faeces as well as subjective perception of the massage and its effects.

Some distinctive changes in the frequency and duration of defaecation could be registered over time. Most patients regarded the massage as a comfortable intervention that may have positive effects of the defaecation. Due to the pilot character of the study further research is necessary in order to validate these effects.