Impact of foot massage on pain, heart rate & blood pressure among post-operative patients with abdominal surgery Anil Kumar1,*, Saloni Taggar2 1Assoc. Professor, University College of Nursing, Faridkot 2RN, Parker Jewish Institute for Health Care and Rehabilitation, New York *Address for correspondence Mr. Anil Kumar, Assoc. Professor University College of Nursing, Faridkot, Punjab, M.No: 9780008707, Email: anilsahu.online@gmail.com
Online published on 8 June, 2021. Abstract Introduction Pain is a common sequel of surgery and Physiological responses to pain create harmful effects that prolong the body's recovery after surgery. Patients routinely report mild to moderate pain even though pain medications have been administered. Foot massage prevents pain transmission from reaching consciousness and releases endorphins and it is effective and easy technique that can be applied independently by nurses to patients in postoperative period to relive pain intensity. Aim Aim of the study was to assess the impact of foot massage on pain, heart rate & blood pressure among post-operative patients with abdominal surgery. Material & Methods In a quasi-experimental study sixty patients were randomly assigned into two groups. Experimental group received foot massage for 20 minutes (10 minutes on each foot) after 4 hours of analgesic administration while in control group investigator stood near the bedside and communicated for 20 minutes without any intervention. Pain was assessed through 11 point numerical pain rating scale while blood pressure and heart rate were measured via an automatic blood pressure monitor at three time intervals (immediate, 30 minutes and 60 minutes) after foot massage. Results When analyzing pain level, heart rate and blood pressure over time, a significant difference was found between both groups. The mean pain declined from 7.23 to 3.07 immediately after foot massage. A statistically significant reduction of systolic (p=0.004), diastolic blood pressure (p=0.001) and heart rate (p=0.002) was also observed in the experimental group as compared to control group. There was significant decline in pain (p=0.00), systolic (p=0.001), diastolic blood pressure (p=0.00) and heart rate (p=0.00) even after 60 minutes of foot massage which proves its effectiveness with time interval in the experimental group. Conclusion Foot massage is a effective, inexpensive, low risk and easily applied nursing intervention for reduction of pain, heart rate and blood pressure among post abdominal operative patients and various other surgeries. Top Keywords Abdominal surgery, Postoperative pain, Heart rate, Blood pressure, Foot massage, Complementary therapies, Nursing. Top |