The effectiveness of massage to the first stage of labor: A systematic review

The effectiveness of massage to the first stage of labor: A systematic review
zahra ghorbani,^1,* fatemeh madahi,²
1. Member of Student Research Committee, Abhar School of Nursing, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, BSc in Nursing
2. Member of Student Research Committee, Abhar School of Nursing, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, BSc in Nursing
Introduction: Labor is identical to the pain that will be experienced more than 90% of women experience severe labor pain and it is a challenging issue for nurses designing intervention protocols. Labor pain was an emotional experience and involves both physiological and psychological mechanisms during labor. Effects of labor pain includes inflammation in uterus and labor dystocia. Nowadays, the use of analgesics for pain relief in childbirth is rarely used due to maternal and neonatal complications and the non- pharmacological and complementary medicine methods are increasing. One of an effective non pharmacological method to reduce pain and anxiety is with massage. This study is to determine the effectiveness of massage to the first stage of labor.
Methods: In this study all papers from 2016-2020 were identified in a search of Elsevier, PubMed and SID, Google Scholar databases. Finally 70 studies that evaluated the effectiveness of massage to the first stage of labor.
Results: The findings of this systematic review suggested that massage therapy can reduce labor pain intensity. Circular manual massage, counter-pressure massage at lumbosacral region, endorphin massage, Circular Hip and knee Press massage, acupressure, effleurage, abdominal lifting technic, slow stroke back massage, Foot reflexology, Oketani massage, kinesio taping, Court-type Thai traditional massage, massage with strong strokes, rubbing or stroking (twisting and releasing) during the active phase of labor could decrease the intensity of labor pain, duration, maternal complications and increase uterine contractions. Massage stimulates the body to release endorphins can also reduce anxiety. Massage therapy is more effective and efficiency reduces pain on stage 1 of vaginal delivery when combined with breathing techniques and relaxation and ice pack application or heat therapy techniques. Using lavender oil, frangipani oil, jasmine oil, olive oil, almond oil, ginger oil, sesame oil massage have the greatest effect in reducing pain.
Conclusion: The study finding shows the importance to provide massage as a cost-effective intervention for reducing labor pain among the pregnant women and suggests this non-pharmacological method replace the methods of drugs that can positively influence the quality of women’s birth experiences. The results of this study are expected to enrich and contribute to the development of science in the field of health promotion, and serve as an additional input for midwives in order to carry out the care of mother during labor.
Keywords: massage, labor, pain, anxiety