Ear Massage Effect on Bowel Activity After Surgery

December 4, 2025 updated by: sumbule koksoy vayisoglu, Mersin University

The Effect of Ear Massage on Bowel Activity in Patients Undergoing Lower Extremity Surgery: A Randomized Controlled Study

Constipation is seen in patients undergoing orthopedic surgical interventions at rates as high as 23% to 94%. Constipation develops more frequently in individuals undergoing major orthopedic surgical interventions such as lower extremity arthroplasties and lower extremity fracture repairs. Ear massage is one of the methods that is thought to be effective in preventing or reducing constipation that may develop in the early period by activating the parasympathetic nervous system after surgical intervention, increasing intestinal peristalsis and emptying the intestinal contents. The ear both contains its own unique points and is directly or indirectly connected to 12 body meridians. Massage applied to the ear provides balance between vital energy (qi) and blood flow (yin-yang) (12). The qi of the person stimulated by massaging these points in the ear is connected to certain organs such as the intestines through channels or meridians. Thanks to this connection, bowel movements can be stimulated and constipation can be eliminated. Ear massage has the potential to be an effective non-pharmacological method for the relief of gastrointestinal problems such as constipation.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Constipation, which frequently develops after surgical intervention and is an undesirable problem, is seen at high rates ranging from 23% to 94% in patients undergoing orthopedic surgical intervention. This rate varies according to the type of surgical intervention performed and is higher especially in individuals undergoing major orthopedic surgical interventions such as lower extremity arthroplasties and lower extremity fracture repairs. Patients undergoing lower extremity surgery have mobility limitations before and after surgical intervention, prolonged fasting before surgical intervention, dietary changes, surgical intervention performed under general anesthesia, opioid/nonopioid analgesia used in pain management, inability to take the appropriate position for defecation, use of bedpan, and applications such as plaster, traction, joint prosthesis that cause limitation of movement cause constipation in patients. Constipation causes patients to face many physiologic and psychologic problems such as restlessness, abdominal tension, epigastric pain, diaphragmatic tension, hypotension, tachycardia and delays postoperative recovery.

Ear massage is one of the methods that is thought to be effective in preventing or reducing constipation that may develop in the early period by activating the parasympathetic nervous system, increasing intestinal peristalsis and emptying the intestinal contents after surgical intervention. Anatomically, the ear is an organ with dense vessels and nerves and the only peripheral branch of the vagus nerve is located in the outer ear. Stimulation of the points on the vagus nerve in the ear with ear massage can directly activate the parasympathetic nervous system. With the activation of the parasympathetic nervous system, the neural networks in the digestive system, especially the vagovagal neurocircuits, become more active. With the activation of vagovagal neurocircuits, the enteric nervous system (ENS), which provides independent functioning of the intestines and other gastrointestinal organs, is activated. The ENS, whose activation increases with this interaction, regulates electrical and chemical transmission in the digestive tract and helps the intestines to function more efficiently.

On the other hand, the ear is one of the most important organs in Traditional Chinese Medicine. The ear both contains its own specific points and is directly or indirectly connected to 12 body meridians. Massage applied to the ear ensures balance between vital energy (qi) and blood flow (yin-yang). The qi of the person stimulated by massaging these points in the ear is connected through channels or meridians to specific organs such as the intestines. This connection stimulates bowel movements and relieves constipation.

Ear massage has the potential to be an effective non-pharmacologic method for the relief of gastrointestinal problems such as constipation. Although there are studies in the literature showing that massages applied to different areas such as the abdomen in patients undergoing orthopedic surgery have a positive effect on gastrointestinal system functions, there is no study examining the effect of ear massage on the excretory activities of patients undergoing lower extremity surgery. Based on the aforementioned information, the aim of this study was to determine the effect of ear massage on excretory activities (return time of bowel sounds, time to first defecation, number of bowel sounds and number of laxative use) in patients undergoing lower extremity surgery, who were at high risk for the development of constipation after surgical intervention.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

40

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Turkey (Türkiye)
    • Yenişehir
      • Mersin, Yenişehir, Turkey (Türkiye), 33010
        • Mersin University

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Not signing the Informed Volunteer Consent Form,
  • Under 18 years of age and over 65 years of age,
  • Unconscious or having problems with orientation,
  • Those who cannot speak Turkish and do not understand it,
  • undergoing surgical intervention at sites other than the lower extremities,
  • Physician-diagnosed chronic constipation or history of diseases that may affect intestinal peristalsis (inflammatory bowel disease, presence of abdominal tumor, surgical intervention or radiotherapy to the abdominal region, presence or suspicion of ileus, and pregnancy) and regular laxative users,
  • Enemas administered before surgical intervention,
  • Patients who have problems with the transition to oral feeding and who are unable to feed orally will be included in the study.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Not signing the Informed Volunteer Consent Form,
  • Under 18 years of age and over 65 years of age,
  • Unconscious or having problems with orientation,
  • Those who cannot speak Turkish and do not understand it,
  • undergoing surgical intervention at sites other than the lower extremities,
  • Physician-diagnosed chronic constipation or history of diseases that may affect intestinal peristalsis (inflammatory bowel disease, presence of abdominal tumor, surgical intervention or radiotherapy to the abdominal region, presence or suspicion of ileus, and pregnancy) and regular laxative users,
  • Enema administered before surgical intervention,
  • Patients who have problems with transition to oral feeding and who cannot be fed orally will not be included in the study.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
No Intervention: Control group
In the clinic where the study was conducted, patients who will undergo lower extremity surgery are placed on bed rest and restricted movement before surgical intervention and hospitalized in the clinic for approximately one day to ensure optimum preparation of the patient for surgery. During this period, the constipation status of the patients before surgical intervention is evaluated and if the patients state that they are unable to defecate, an enema is administered to ensure defecation before surgical intervention. After surgical intervention, patients are on absolute bed rest for 24 hours and their first mobilization is provided upon physician's request. In this period, the first gas and defecation time of the patients are routinely recorded by the nurses in the ward, and enemas (sodium phosphate) and laxatives (lactulose) are administered to patients who do not have gas and defecation in the first 3 days after surgical intervention. In the study, no procedure other than routine t
Experimental: Ear massage group
At least one Intervention must be specified for an Interventional study. Patients included in the study group will receive ear massage in addition to the routine treatment and care practices of the clinic. Ear massage application will be started in the evening of the first day after surgical intervention (at 19:30) and will be applied twice a day at least 30 minutes after morning and evening meals (07:30 am, 19:30 pm) for 3 minutes each, similar to the literature (8,9,12). The bowel sounds of the patients will be re-evaluated before and 10 minutes after the ear massage application, and the excretory activities form will be filled out. Ear massage application will be terminated when the patient defecates or when the patient is given an enema.
Other: Ear massage
At least one Intervention must be specified for an Interventional study. Patients included in the study group will receive ear massage in addition to the routine treatment and care practices of the clinic. Ear massage application will be started in the evening of the first day after surgical intervention (at 19:30) and will be applied twice a day at least 30 minutes after morning and evening meals (07:30 am, 19:30 pm) for 3 minutes each, similar to the literature (8,9,12). The bowel sounds of the patients will be re-evaluated before and 10 minutes after the ear massage application, and the excretory activities form will be filled out. Ear massage application will be terminated when the patient defecates or when the patient is given an enema.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Time for the return of the bowel sound
Time Frame: Up to three days
The time of the first return of the bowel sounds of the patients after the surgical intervention will be recorded by asking the researcher by asking twice a day (morning-evening).
Up to three days
First defecation time after surgery
Time Frame: Up to three days
The time of the patients' first defecation time after surgical intervention will be recorded by asking the investigator by asking twice a day (morning-evening).
Up to three days

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
the number of bowel sounds
Time Frame: up to three days
After the surgical intervention, the number of bowel sounds of the patients will be recorded twice a day (morning and evening) by the investigator.
up to three days
use of defecation aids
Time Frame: up to three days
After the surgical intervention, the patients' use of defecation aids will be recorded by the investigator by asking them twice a day (morning-evening).
up to three days

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Mersin University

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

September 10, 2025

Primary Completion (Actual)

December 1, 2025

Study Completion (Actual)

December 4, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

March 5, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 5, 2025

First Posted (Actual)

March 7, 2025

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

December 5, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

December 4, 2025

Last Verified

December 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • EarMassageMersinU

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

In order to avoid duplication, it is not intended to be shared until the research is completed.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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