title: Massage reduced severity of pain during labour: a randomised trial.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Does massage relieve pain in the active phase of labour?
  
  
  METHODS
  Randomised trial with concealed allocation, assessor blinding for some outcomes, and intention-to-treat analysis.
  
  
  METHODS
  46 women pregnant at ≥ 37 weeks gestation with a single fetus, with spontaneous onset of labour, 4-5cm of cervical dilation, intact ovular membranes, and no use of medication after admission to hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  Experimental group participants received a 30-min lumbar massage by a physiotherapist during the active phase of labour. A physiotherapist attended control group participants for the same period but only answered questions. Both groups received routine perinatal care.
  
  
  METHODS
  The primary outcome was pain severity measured on a 100mm visual analogue scale. Secondary outcomes included the Short Form McGill Pain Questionnaire, pain location, and time to analgesic medication use. After labour, a blinded researcher also recorded duration of labour, route of delivery, neonatal outcomes, and the participant's satisfaction with the physiotherapist during labour.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At the end of the intervention, pain severity was 52mm (SD 20) in the experimental group and 72mm (SD 15) in control group, which was significantly different with a mean difference of 20mm (95% CI 10 to 31). The groups did not differ significantly on the other pain-related outcome measures. Obstetric outcomes were also similar between the groups except the duration of labour, which was 6.8hr (SD 1.6) in the experimental group and 5.7hr (SD 1.5) in the control group, mean difference 1.1hr (95% CI 0.2 to 2.0). Patients in both groups were satisfied with the care provided by the physiotherapist.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Massage reduced the severity of pain in labour, despite not changing its characteristics and location.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University of Sao Paulo, Ribeirao Preto, Brazil.
authors.forename: Rubneide Barreto
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Silva Gallo
authors.forename: Licia Santos
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Santana
authors.forename: Cristine Homsi
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Jorge Ferreira
authors.forename: Alessandra Cristina
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Marcolin
authors.forename: Omero Benedicto
authors.initials: OB
authors.lastname: Polineto
authors.forename: Geraldo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Duarte
authors.forename: Silvana Maria
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Quintana
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D048949:Labor Pain / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D007743:Labor, Obstetric; D008405:Massage / Q000379:methods*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D026741:Physical Therapy Modalities; D011247:Pregnancy; D055815:Young Adult