The effect of passive movement for reducing labor pain during the active phase of primipara

Abstract

Suffering from the severe labor pain is a major problem among primipara during the active phase of labor. In clinical practice, the passive movement, which is one of the non-pharmacologic approaches, is used for reducing labor pain. Unfortunately, there is a lack of research evidence supporting its efficacy. The aim of this study was to verify the effect of passive movement on relieving the labor pain. Forty-four subjects were recruited and randomly assigned to either a treatment group (receiving passive movement) or a control group. Each group received 20 minutes of treatment. Both pain intensity and degree of relaxation using Visual Analogue Scale (VAS rating) were assessed before and after treatment. Results demonstrated that the treatment group showed a significant decrease in VAS rating of pain intensity (P < 0.0001). In contrast, this was not found in the control group. Moreover, the relief of pain intensity among subjects receiving passive movement was significantly greater than the control group with a difference of 2.93 cm (95% CI was 2.20 to 3.68 cm and P <  0.00001).  Similar results were found for the degree of relaxation parameter. It was concluded that passive movement can decrease labor pain and enhance relaxation. Therefore, passive movement should be promoted as an alternative technique in the labor-care clinics.