Beneficial effects of Sacral Massage in Alleviating Labor Pain

Sacral massage during childbirth may offer various benefits, particularly in reducing stress and fatigue. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of sacral massage for pregnant women in labor.

A thorough search was conducted across major databases from their inception until May 18, 2024. The quality of the included randomized control trials (RCTs) and quasi-experimental studies was evaluated using the Jadad Scale and the Risk of Bias Assessment Tool for Nonrandomized Studies (RoBANS), respectively. Data analyses were performed with RevMan version 5.3, and the GRADEpro GDT tool was used to assess the certainty of the evidence.

The outcome revealed:

The review included nine articles, with eight studies contributing to the meta-analysis.
Results indicated that women who received sacral massage experienced a significant reduction in labor pain intensity (SMD= -2.40, 95% CI -3.5 to -1.29, I² = 97%).
However, sacral massage did not significantly affect the length of the first stage of labor (MD=-0.04, 95% CI -0.27 to 0.20, I² = 0%) or the overall duration of labor (MD= -0.56, 95% CI -1.66 to 0.55, I² = 90%).
The evidence for labor pain relief was rated as moderate, while the evidence regarding the duration of labor stages was considered very low.

To summarize, the study concluded that sacral massage is an effective non-pharmacological approach for significantly reducing pain during childbirth. Therefore, it is recommended for implementation in clinical practice during labor.

Source: Makvandi S, Hadizadeh-Talasaz Z, Nosrati Hadi Abad SF, Manouchehri E, Larki M. Effectiveness of sacral massage during labor in pregnant women: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Midwifery. 2025 Feb;141:104252. doi: 10.1016/j.midw.2024.104252. Epub 2024 Nov 28. PMID: 39673988.

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