Comparison of the Effect of Hot and Cold Massage at Spleen 6 on Pain Relief During Active Labor Phase: A Clinical Trial

Abstract

Background: Delivery is a major event that the vast majority of women experience during their lives with inevitable pain. Uncontrolled pain can prolong the labor process and cause multiple injuries to the mother and fetus. Thus, introducing measures to relieve labor pain, especially by noninvasive procedures, should be a priority in obstetrics and gynaecology. Objectives: This study aimed to compare the effect of hot and cold massage at spleen 6 (SP-6) on pain relief during active labor. Methods: This clinical trial was conducted in 2017 on 80 primiparous women who had referred to Amir Al-Momenin Hospital in Zabol, Iran. The subjects were randomly assigned to two groups of hot and cold massage. The effects of hot and cold massage (four sessions of 30 minutes) at SP-6 on pain relief were studied during the active labor before the intervention, 5 and 30 minutes after the start of the intervention, and 30 minutes after the end of the intervention. The results were compared between the two groups. A demographic form was used to collect demographic and midwifery characteristics and McGill Pain Questionnaire was adopted to evaluate pain intensity. Data were analyzed in SPSS V. 21 using descriptive and analytical statistics. Results: There was no statistically significant difference in the mean pain intensity between the two groups before the intervention (P = 0.606). Similarly, no significant difference was observed in terms of pain intensity between the two groups 4 minutes after the intervention (P = 0.248). However, 30 and 60 minutes after the end of the intervention, the reduction in pain intensity was significantly more in the cold massage group than in the hot massage group (P < 0.001). Conclusions: The results showed that cold massage at SP-6 significantly relieved labor pain more effectively than hot massage. Thanks to its low cost and non-specialized equipment, it is recommended that treatment teams utilize this method to help mothers experience less pain during their labor process.