Effectiveness of back massage on pain relief during first stage of labor in primi mothers admitted at a Tertiary care center

BACKGROUND: Labor pain is one of the most severe pains a woman experiences in her life, causing an increase in the anxiety and stress levels. Massage therapy has proven beneficial for relaxation purposes. AIM: To evaluate the effectiveness of back massage in relieving pain during the first stage of labor in primi mothers. METHODOLOGY: The study included 40 primipara mothers belonging to the age group 22–25 years, equally divided into 2 groups: Experimental (massage therapy) and control (routine care). The socio-demographic data, labor assessment parameters (cervical dilation, status of fetal membranes, frequency and duration of uterine contractions during the latent and active phase of labor, and the total duration of the first stage of labor), and the level of labor pain (numerical rating pain scale) were recorded. Data analysis was performed by one-way ANOVA and two independent samples t-test (P ≤ 0.05 as significant). RESULTS: During the latent and active phase of labor, majority of the mothers experienced 4–5 contractions in a span of 10 min. During the latent phase of labor, uterine contractions for 20–40 s were exhibited by 90% and 75% mothers in the experimental and control group, respectively; and during active phase, contractions of >40 s were exhibited by 85% mothers in both groups. A significant difference in the post-test pain scores was noted between the 2 groups (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: Our study proved that back massage was effective in reducing pain during the first stage of labor in primipara mothers in comparison to those who were subjected to routine care.