Study Supports Use of Massage to Control Labour Pain

A new study published in the Journal of Physiotherapy provides evidence to support the use of massage to control pain during labour.
The findings suggest that massage should be encouraged by health professionals who assist women in labour; as this intervention is easily applied, helps manage pain, and allows reduced reliance on analgesic medications.
The research also found that massage permits the mother direct contact with another person during the active stage of labour, and she is therefore more likely to receive emotional support during this stage.
Researchers monitored 46 women during labour, half of which received a 30 minute lumbar massage by a physiotherapist. A physiotherapist attended control group participants for the same period but did not administer massage. The study found that massage during the active phase of labour significantly reduced reported pain levels.
Massage during labour was also found to have no adverse effects on the path of delivery or the status of the newborn.
The study recommended that massage during labour be administered by a qualified health practitioner, or a birth partner who has received effective training at prenatal courses.