Abstract
Hot back-compresses are a routine part of nursing care. However, no studies exist explaining the physical changes accompanying hot compresses to the back along with the experience of “pleasure” . In order to investigate the utility of using hot back-compresses to assist in the recovery of unpleasant stress we developed the ‘pleasure property’ of hot back-compresses.
An experimental group (n＝9) of healthy women did the Uchida-Kraepelin arithmetic stress test then received a hot towel compress of approximately 60 degrees centigrade for 10 minutes to the lumbar back (seventh cervical vertebra to the fourth lumbar vertebrae). The subjects received the sequence twice.
The measurements were surface skin temperature (dorsalis pedis and palm), heart rate variability (HRV), skin conductance level (SCL), pleasure-displeasure scale and degree of sleepiness.
The dorsalis pedis skin temperature (p＝.047) and pleasure-displeasure (p＝.017) had an interaction with “time” . The experimental group scored highly on dorsalis pedis skin temperature and pleasure-displeasure after hot back compress. There was significant sleepiness in the experimental group (p＝ .020). In addition, the experimental group had a significantly higher palm skin temperature during hot back compresses (p＝.008). HRV and SCL had no significance.
It may be that skin sympathetic nerve reaction was inhibited due to hot back-compress induced pleasure and sleepiness. Therefore, peripheral skin temperature increased. The hot back compress may promote psychosomatic rest after the stress load.
