Efficacy of Percussion Massage Therapy Applied to the Lower Extremity on Pain, Edema, and Quality of Life in Pregnant Women: Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

Background: Pain and edema in the legs are the most common problems in pregnancy. This study examined the effect of percussion massage therapy applied to the lower extremities on pain, edema, and quality of life in pregnant women. Methods: Sixty pregnant women between 24 and 36 weeks of pregnancy were included in the study. Pregnant women were randomly divided into two groups: the percussion massage treatment (PMT) group (n = 30) and the control group (n = 30). Twelve sessions of percussive massage therapy were administered to the bilateral medial gastrocnemius, lateral gastrocnemius, peroneus longus, and tibialis anterior muscles of pregnant women included in the PMT group, three times a week for four weeks. The lower extremities of the pregnant women in the control group did not get any massage therapy. A Visual Analog Scale (VAS) was used to assess pain. A tape measure was used to measure the ankle, knee, and thigh circumference. The Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) was used to evaluate fatigue, and the Short Form-36 (SF-36) was used to assess quality of life. Results: When comparing pre-treatment and post-treatment results within each group, statistically significant differences were found in both groups in terms of right/left ankle, knee, and thigh circumference measurements, and SF-36 physical function (PF) measurements (p < 0.05). When the difference measurements between the groups were compared, a statistically significant improvement in the PMT group was detected in VAS (p = 0.000), right/left ankle (p = 0.002/p = 0.006) and right/left hip circumference measurements (p = 0.006/p = 0.008), FSS (p = 0.009), and SF-36-role emotional (RE) (p = 0.000), mental health (MH) (p = 0.005), social function (SF) (p = 0.005), and body pain (BP) (p = 0.003) measurements. Conclusions: PMT was more effective than the control group in parameters such as pain, ankle and thigh circumference measurements, fatigue, and some sub-parameters of quality of life. PMT could be preferred to enhance the quality of life of pregnant women by improving parameters like pain, edema, and fatigue. Clinical Trial Registration: The study protocol was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov https://clinicaltrials.gov/ (NCT06338254).