The effect of acupressure on postpartum fatigue in women delivering by caesarean section: A randomized controlled study

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the effect of acupressure on postpartum fatigue in women who gave birth by cesarean section.

Method: This study is a randomized controlled experimental study. The study was conducted between August 2021 and January 2022 in the maternity wards of hospitals in Turkey. Multiparous women who gave birth by cesarean section were randomly assigned to acupressure (n = 60) and control (n = 62) groups. Acupressure was applied to the acupressure group for a total of four sessions on the points of LI4, ST36, and SP6, for an average of 15 min for each session. The application sessions continued for 48 h after the cesarean section. The data were collected with a Descriptive Information Form and the VAS-F.

Results: It was determined that the mean posttest score of the fatigue dimension of the VAS-F was found to be significantly lower in the acupressure group (p = 0.023). Additionally, in the acupressure group, while the differences between the pretest and posttest results of the both fatigue and energy dimensions of the VAS-F were statistically highly significant in the acupressure group (p = 0.000), only the difference in the energy dimension was found to be statistically significant in the control group (p = 0.016).

Conclusions: As a result, acupressure was found to be effective in reducing postpartum fatigue in women who gave birth by cesarean section, and its usability for healthcare professionals was demonstrated.

Keywords: Acupressure; Cesarian section; Nonpharmacological method; Postpartum fatigue.