Context:
Constipation being one of the most common and exasperating postpartum problems in Female population, i.e., defined as a large bowel problem leading to pain while defecating, hard and lumpy stools resulting in strain, and a sense of incomplete evacuating. It impacts the quality of life of every individual.
Aim:
To investigate the effect of abdominal binder on constipation in early puerperium period.
Setting and design:
The department of OBG physiotherapy at KLE Hospital in Belagavi. Karnataka India did a pilot study.
Methods and Materials:
17 women between 19 and 35 years of age within the early puerperium period having constipation. The women reporting any chronic history of constipation and laxatives induced after the delivery were not included in the study. They were administered with the Modified Constipation Assessment Scale (MCAS), which rated them into mild, moderate, and severe constipation, and the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), to rate the abdominal discomfort due to constipation. The binder was prescribed for 2 days. Both pre-.and post-intervention data were collected and were statistically analyzed to know the effect.
Statistical analysis used:
Parametric Paired sample t-test was used to compare the results.
Results:
According to Paired sample t-test, the difference between the values of pre- and post-treatment with a P <5% significance level (i.e. 0.002 < 0.05) on MCAS can be observed. Similarly, on VAS, the significant and reliable statistical differences on the pre-.and post-treatment values with P <5% significance level (i.e., 0.001 < 0.05) can be observed. Therefore, this study justifies the improvements in health outcome post-intervention.
Conclusion:
The study concluded that the abdominal binder has an effect on constipation within the early puerperium period. The binder also helps to relieve the abdominal discomfort as a result of constipation.