ABSTRACT:
One of the problems for mothers in the post–cesarean section period
is pain, which disturbs the early relationship between mothers and
newborns; timely pain management prevents the side effects of pain,
facilitates the recovery of patient, reduces the costs of treatment by
minimizing or eliminating the mother’s distress, and increases
mother-infant interactions. The aim of this study was to determine the
effect of hand and foot massage on post–cesarean section pain. This
study is a randomized and controlled trial which was performed in
Mustafa Khomeini Hospital, Elam, Iran, April 1 to July 30, 2011; it was
carried out on 80 pregnant women who had an elective cesarean section
and met inclusion criteria for study. The visual analog scale was
used to determine the pain intensity before, immediately, and 90
minutes after conducting 5 minutes of foot and hand massage. Vital
signs were measured and recorded. The pain intensity was found to be
reduced after intervention compared with the intensity before the
intervention (p