International Journal of Medicine Research

Background and aim: Theoretically massage therapy inhibits the transmission of the pain to the brain. In this study, we evaluated the effect of manual massage on intensity and duration of pain in the first phase of labor in primigravid women.

Materials and methods: This was a randomized controlled trial carried out on 60 primigravid women expected to have normal vaginal delivery, admitted to Amiralmomenin Hospital in Zabol, Iran, during 2007. Women were randomized into two groups: 30 women who received massage (A) and 30 women in the control group (B). Visual analog scale (VAS) was used to measure the labor pain. Intensity and duration of pain were compared in two stages of the active phase of labor as follow: 1-cervical dilatation 5 cm, 2-cervical dilatation 8cm.

Results: This study showed that manual massage significantly decreases intensity and duration of labor pain in both of stages of active phase (1.963 Vs 2.718, p=0.0001- 2.311 Vs 3.720, p=0.0001).