• Sussan Saatsaz, Rozita Rezaei, Abbas Alipour, and Zahra Beheshti.
• Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery Department of Amol, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran. Electronic address: s.saatsaz@mazums.ac.ir.
• Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2016 Aug 1; 24: 92-8.

ObjectiveThe present study was conducted to determine the effect of massage on post-cesarean pain and anxiety.MethodsThe present single-blind clinical trial was conducted on 156 primiparous women undergone elective cesarean section. The participants were randomly divided into three groups, including a hand and foot massage group, a foot massage group and a control group (n = 52 per group). The patients' intensity of pain, vital signs and anxiety level were measured before, immediately after and 90 min after the massage.ResultsA significant reduction was observed in the intensity of pain immediately and 90 min after massage (P < 0.001). Moreover, changes in some of the physiological parameters, including blood pressure and respiration rate, were significant after massage (P < 0.001); however, this change was not significant for pulse rate. A significant reduction was also observed in the level of anxiety (P < 0.001) and a significant increase in the frequency of breastfeeding (P < 0.001) after massage.ConclusionAs an effective nursing intervention presenting no side-effects, hand and foot massage can be helpful in the management of postoperative pain and stress.Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

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