Poster Presentation
Wednesday, 19 July 2006
9:30 AM - 10:00 AM
Wednesday, 19 July 2006
2:30 PM - 3:00 PM
This presentation is part of : Poster Presentations I
Characteristics of Labor Pain: A Comparison of Massage Effects
Mei-Yueh Chang, MSc, RN, Nursing, National Tainan Institute of Nursing, Tainan, Taiwan and Chung-Hey Chen, PhD, RN, College of Nursing, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
Learning Objective #1: understand the characteristics of pain during labor with and without massage using the SF-MPQ.
Learning Objective #2: know how the complementary alternative medicine (CAM) health practice in obstetrics.
Background. Intervention for pain and discomfort during labor and birth is a major part of the modern obstetric care of laboring women. According to Chinese ethnic practice, “putting up with” (reen) pain is a traditional virtue, and thus laboring women in Taiwan do not usually request pharmacological pain relief. Massage, on the other hand, is generally accepted by these women but its possible effects are not clearly understood.

Aims. The purpose of this study was to describe systematically the characteristics of pain during labor with and without massage.

Methods. Sixty primiparas in labor were randomly assigned to either the massage group or the control group and were tested using the Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ) at 3 stages of cervical dilation: stage 1 dilation (3-4 cm), stage 2 dilation (5-7 cm), and stage 3 dilation (8-10 cm).

Results. The results of this study showed: (1) as cervical dilation increased, there were significant increases in self-reported pain on all the cited measures; (2) massage lessened pain intensity at stage 1 and stage2, but there were no significant differences between the groups at stage 3 with the VAS and PPI measurement; (3) the most frequently selected five sensory words chosen by both groups were similar at stages 1 and 2 were (a) sore, (b) sharp, (c) heavy, (d) throbbing, and (e) cramping, and in 2 out of 4 affective classes, fearful and tiring-exhausting were the most used by the women to describe the affective dimension. Conclusions: The results of this study indicate that, although massage can not change the characteristics of pain during labor, it can effectively decrease labor pain at stage 1 and stage 2 of cervical dilation during labor.

See more of Poster Presentations I
See more of The 17th International Nursing Research Congress Focusing on Evidence-Based Practice (19-22 July 2006)