The effect of acupressure and massage on labor pain and birth satisfaction: a randomized controlled trial

Objective: This randomized controlled trial was conducted to determine the effect of acupressure and massage used for the management of labor pain in the latent, active, and transition phases of the first stage of labor on labor pain and birth satisfaction. Methods: The study was conducted with 66 pregnant women who met the sampling criteria and participated voluntarily at a public hospital in Nicosia. The participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups: a massage group, an acupressure group, or a control group. Participants in the massage group received 10 min of sacral massage during contraction and 10 min of endorphin massage during rest, for a total of 30 min of massage per phase. Participants in the acupressure group received 3 min of acupressure to the LI 4 point at the same dilation intervals, when the contraction was most intense. The control group received no intervention. Pain perceived by the pregnant woman was evaluated with the Visual Comparison Scale (VAS) at the beginning and end of each phase. Postpartum, the Birth Satisfaction Scale was applied. Results: Massage application was found to be more effective in reducing labor pain than acupressure or the control group. Massage and acupressure did not negatively affect APGAR scores. The lowest oxytocin use was found in the massage group. The group with the highest birth satisfaction scores was also the massage group. Conclusion: Massage application is more effective than acupressure application in reducing labor pain and increasing birth satisfaction.