Abstract
The aim of this study was to compare labor pain-alleviating effects of lumbar hot compresses (hot compress) and lumbar massage during the first stage of labor. This quasi-experimental study that included 15 primiparous and multiparous women at ≥37 weeks of gestation. Parturient women were divided into 2 groups and treated with hot compress or lumbar massage continuously, in the order in which they began the first stage of labor. The first group received hot compresses, whereas the second received massages. Group 1 comprised 7 subjects and group 2 comprised 8. A visual analog scale (VAS) was used before and after the first intervention to measure pain. The groups were compared in a mixed model with the period (before and after intervention) and intervention (hot compress/massage) as the 2 factors; VAS scores were the independent variables. Comparison of the group VAS scores revealed a primary effect in this period (p <0.001). Post-intervention VAS scores decreased compared to pre-intervention VAS scores. A primary intervention effect was not observed (p=0.982). Both interventions reduced pain with no significant difference. Our findings suggest that hot compress is equivalent to massage for alleviating labor pain.
