Effect of massage on the duration of first stage of labor

Prolonged labor is an important problem during labor which can have undesirable effects on both maternal and fetal health. Shortening the duration of labor has always been one of the aims of obstetricians. Hence, the purpose of this research was to investigate the effect of massage on the duration of labor in women attending to Bentolhoda Maternity Unit in the city of Bojnord, Northern Khorasan, Iran in 2005. In this clinical tial study, 62 primiparous women with normal pregnancy were participated. The indications of normal pregnancy included a gestational age of 37-42 weeks, single tone, and vertex presentation. Sampling was done by purposive method. Women were randomly allocated in two groups. The experimental group (n=32) received a 30-minute directional, reasonably firm and rhythmic effleurage massage in the back in each of the three phases of labor. The control group (n=30), did not receive any form of massage and received a routine 30-minutes nursing care in each of the three phases. Measurements were then made for strength, interval and frequency of contractions and the duration of each phase. Data were analyzed using student t, Chi-square and Mann-Whitney tests. Findings showed a significant decrease in the duration of labor after massage sessions. The mean duration of labor for the massage group was 5.75 hourse and for the routine nursing care group 9.15 houres (p=0.001). According to the above results, there was a significant decrease in duration of the first phase of labor in pregnant women receiving massage sessions. Therefore, this method can be used to decrease the period of hospitalization.