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Massage therapy and labor outcomes: a randomized controlled trial.
Patricia Janssen1, Farah Shroff, Paula Jaspar
1School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada ; Department of Family Practice, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada ; Department of Obstetrics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada ; Child and Family Research Institute, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Registered massage therapy may help manage labor pain and potentially delay epidural analgesia use. This pilot study suggests massage therapy could be an effective pain management option during childbirth.
Area of Science:
- Obstetrics and Gynecology
- Complementary and Alternative Medicine
- Pain Management
Background:
- Massage therapy has a long history of providing comfort to women.
- Modern labor and delivery suites lack rigorous evaluation of massage's impact on labor pain.
- No prior studies have assessed massage therapy by a registered massage therapist for labor pain management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of massage therapy provided by registered massage therapists in managing pain among women in active labor.
- To assess the impact of massage on cervical dilation and pain perception during labor.
Main Methods:
- A randomized controlled trial involving 77 healthy nulliparous women in spontaneous labor.
- Swedish massage administered by a registered massage therapist for up to five hours versus standard care.
- Pain perception measured using the McGill Pain Scale at various stages of labor; cervical dilation at epidural administration was a key outcome.
Main Results:
- Mean cervical dilation at epidural insertion was 5.9 cm in the massage group versus 4.9 cm in the control group.
- McGill Pain Scale scores were consistently lower in the massage group across different labor stages (e.g., 13.3 vs. 16.9 at 3-4 cm dilation).
- While trends favored massage, the differences in pain scores were not statistically significant.
Conclusions:
- Massage therapy by a registered massage therapist shows potential as an effective labor pain management tool.
- Massage may be associated with delayed epidural analgesia use, potentially reducing exposure and associated complications.
- Further research is warranted to confirm these findings from this pilot study.
