Effectiveness of Physiotherapy on Postcesarean Pain and Functional Activities

Hacettepe University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Cesarean Section

Treatments: Other: Physiotherapy

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT00302315

05.T02.102.003

Details and patient eligibility

About

This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of physiotherapy applications in early postcesarean problems.

Full description

This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of physiotherapy applications in early postcesarean problems which make difficulties in functional activities, and includes a physiotherapy intervention group and a control group. Physical characteristics, obstetrical and surgical histories, and systemic problems, back pain, low back pain, headache, urinary/fecal incontinence problems and bowel habit of the subjects both in pregnancy and postpartum periods are recorded. First ambulation time after cesarean, presence of syncope, related vital signs, onset time of bowel peristalsis and defecation are also recorded. Intensities of incisional pain and difficulty in performing functional activities are evaluated by daily 0-10 cm visual analogue scales (VASs). Also, intensities of back pain, low back pain, headache, bloated feeling of the abdomen, and fatigue are also evaluated by daily VASs. Physiotherapy program included breathing exercises, active joint movements of the lower limbs, posture exercises, connective tissue manipulation and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation.

Enrollment: 50 patients

Sex: Female

Ages: 19 to 42 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

cesarean section giving birth to single baby having cesarean under general anesthesia

Exclusion criteria

giving birth to multiple babies being followed in intensive care unit after cesarean because of complications

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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50 participants in 1 patient group

Routine care

Active Comparator group

Description:

All subjects were operated by the same obstetrician (SB) and lower segment transverse incision technique was used for the cesarean section. After delivery, patients were transferred to their rooms within the obstetric ward. Vital signs (heart rate, blood pressure and breathing rate) and body temperatures were assessed regularly. Patients were not allowed to feed orally before bowel movements had started. For post-operative pain control in the first 24 h, meperidine (50 mg, 4 × 1) and non-steroid anti-inflammatory medicine (4 × 1) were administered intravenously. If required by the patient, additional analgesics or anti-inflammatory medications were also administered by the nurses, who were blinded to the group assignment. Patients were encouraged for early ambulation after delivery if they were not hypotensive and uterine bleeding was under control. Initially, they ambulated 10-15 m inside their rooms, and the intensity increased in hours and days. Patients were usually discharged wit

Treatment:

Other: Physiotherapy