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Swedish abdominal massage against warm water therapy on postoperative orthopaedic surgery constipation: a comparison
Enny Selawaty Boangmanalu1, Masfuri Masfuri1, Muhamad Adam1
1Faculty of Nursing, Universitas Indonesia, Depok, West Java, 16424, Indonesia.
Background:
Postoperative immobilization in patients with lower extremity fractures frequently leads to constipation, affecting approximately 50-70% of patients. Non-pharmacological nursing interventions such as Swedish abdominal massage and warm water drinking therapy are potential approaches to alleviate this problem.
Objective:
The objective of this study was to compare the effectiveness of Swedish abdominal massage and warm water drinking therapy in reducing constipation scores among patients with postoperative lower extremity fractures.
Methods:
A quasi-experimental pre-posttest design without a control group was conducted with 30 respondents selected using a simple random sampling technique. Constipation was assessed using the Constipation Assessment Scale (CAS) before and after intervention. Data were analyzed using independent t-tests, and results were interpreted with attention to baseline differences between groups.
Results:
Both interventions significantly reduced constipation scores. The mean post-intervention CAS score was 4.60 in the warm water group and 3.56 in the Swedish abdominal massage group ( p < 0.001). Although Swedish abdominal massage showed a greater within-group reduction, baseline imbalances in constipation scores may have influenced the observed differences.
Conclusion:
Swedish abdominal massage and warm water therapy are effective nurse-led, non-pharmacological interventions for reducing postoperative constipation. The findings should be interpreted cautiously due to baseline differences and small sample size. Future research with larger samples, controlled designs, and statistical adjustments is recommended to confirm these preliminary findings.
