The Effects of Acupressure and Massage Following Cesarean Section

February 24, 2026 updated by: Dilek Potur, Marmara University

The Effects of Acupressure and Back Massage on Pain, Fatigue, and Sleep Quality in Cesarean Sections: A Randomized Controlled Study

Cesarean section births have rapidly increased both in our country and worldwide in recent years. According to OECD data, one in four births worldwide and one in two births in our country is a cesarean section. The cesarean section has become one of the most frequently performed surgical interventions. The incision from a cesarean section causes pain, mobilization issues, and delays in mother-infant interaction. The choice of pharmacological methods used after a cesarean section is often limited by concerns about the baby and breastfeeding, leading to inadequate pain management and causing women to experience moderate to high levels of pain. Pain negatively affects individuals' comfort, leading to sleep disturbances, fatigue, and a decreased quality of life. It makes daily activities and responsibilities as individuals more challenging to manage. There is a need for nurses, in their primary caregiver role, to adopt a multidisciplinary approach to pain management and to develop their skills in using non-pharmacological methods. These methods should be clinically applied and proven effective. Acupressure and massage are long-standing, cost-effective, easy-to-apply, and effective methods used to reduce pain. This study aims to reduce pain and fatigue and improve sleep quality in women who have undergone a cesarean section by applying acupressure and massage in the postoperative period, thereby preventing the chronicization of these problems.

Study Overview

Status

Enrolling by invitation

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

111

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

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

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Women aged 18-45 years
  • Undergoing cesarean delivery under spinal anesthesia,
  • Having a term, single, and healthy newborn,
  • Gestational age of 37-40 weeks,
  • No communication difficulties,
  • No systemic or chronic diseases,
  • Willing to participate in the study.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Undergoing cesarean delivery under general or epidural anesthesia,
  • Development of any maternal or neonatal complications during the postpartum period (hypertension, hemorrhage, infants requiring intensive care, etc.),
  • Having chronic fatigue or pain problems,
  • Using caffeine (tea, coffee, chocolate, etc.).

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: Factorial Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
No Intervention: Control
Experimental: Massage
Other: Massage
back massage
Experimental: Acupressure
Other: Acupressure to points HT7, LI4, SP6 and ST36
This point specialized for pain management, fatigue and sleep

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Visual Analog Scale for Pain
Time Frame: Periprocedural (immediately after the intervention or standard care)

Pain intensity was assessed using the Visual Analog Scale for Pain (VAS), a 10-cm horizontal line ranging from 0 to 10, where:

  • 0 = no pain
  • 10 = unbearable pain
Periprocedural (immediately after the intervention or standard care)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Postpartum Sleep Quality Scale
Time Frame: 15 minutes after completion of the intervention
Sleep quality was measured using the Postpartum Sleep Quality Scale, a 14-item questionnaire scored on a 5-point Likert scale (0 = Never to 4 = Always). Total scores range from 0 to 56, with higher scores indicating poorer sleep quality (worse outcome). The scale has no cut-off value. Assessments were performed before and after the intervention.
15 minutes after completion of the intervention
Postnatal Accumulated Fatigue Scale
Time Frame: 15 minutes after completion of the intervention
Fatigue was assessed using the Postnatal Accumulated Fatigue Scale, a 13-item questionnaire comprising three subdomains (physical fatigue, emotional fatigue, and cognitive fatigue). Each item is scored as 0 = Almost none, 1 = Sometimes, and 3 = Mostly/Often. Total scores range from 0 to 39, with higher scores indicating greater fatigue (worse outcome). The scale has no cut-off value. Assessments were performed before and after the intervention.
15 minutes after completion of the intervention

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
PERSONAL INFORMATION FORM
Time Frame: Baseline (prior to intervention)
Baseline demographic and obstetric characteristics were collected using a Personal Information Form administered once prior to the intervention.
Baseline (prior to intervention)
Intervention Satisfaction Form
Time Frame: 15 minutes post-intervention

Satisfaction with the intervention was assessed using the Intervention Satisfaction Form, a Visual Analog Scale-based measure ranging from 0 to 10, where:

  • 0 = not satisfied
  • 10 = very satisfied

Higher scores indicate greater satisfaction (better outcome).
15 minutes post-intervention

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Marmara University

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 (Estimated)

February 20, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

August 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

March 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

February 10, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 24, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

February 25, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

February 25, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 24, 2026

Last Verified

February 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • marmaradeneysel

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

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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