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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2021 Jun;47(6):2082-2092.
doi: 10.1111/jog.14755. Epub 2021 Mar 21.

Effect of plantar reflexology on labor pain and childbirth experience: A randomized controlled clinical trial

Massoumeh Jameei-Moghaddam  1 , Sakineh Goljaryan  2 , Sakineh Mohammad Alizadeh Charandabi  3 , Simin Taghavi  4 , Mojgan Mirghafourvand  5
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Effect of plantar reflexology on labor pain and childbirth experience: A randomized controlled clinical trial

Massoumeh Jameei-Moghaddam et al. J Obstet Gynaecol Res. 2021 Jun.

Abstract

Aim: This study aimed to determine the effect of plantar reflexology on the severity of labor pain and childbirth experience (primary outcomes) and the duration of labor stages (secondary outcomes).

Methods: This single-blind randomized controlled trial was performed on 90 women in Al-Zahra and Taleghani hospitals in Tabriz-Iran. Participants were randomly assigned into three groups; Intervention 1 (two 30-min massages at the effective point of pain for each sole), intervention 2 (one 30-min massage at the effective point of pain and one 30-min massage at the heel for each sole), and control (two 30-minute heel massages). Massage was performed once in 4-cm dilatation and the second time in 7-cm dilatation. The severity of pain and childbirth experience were measured by Visual Analogue Scale and Labor Agentry Scale, respectively. Partograph chart was used to measure the length of labor stages.

Results: The severity of pain in intervention group 1 was significantly lower than the control group (AMD: -1.7; 9% confidence interval: -2.8 to -0.6; p = 0.001), but there was no significant difference between intervention groups 1 and 2 (p = 0.066) and intervention group 2 and control (p = 0.336). A significant difference was observed between groups in terms of length of the third stage of labor (p = 0.04). There was no significant difference between groups in terms of mean childbirth experience score (p = 0.217), duration of active phase (p = 0.099), and second stage of labor (p = 0.114).

Conclusion: The results of the study showed that plantar reflexology can reduce the severity of labor pain and the length of third stage of labor.

Keywords: childbirth experience; labor; pain; reflexology.

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