Massage Therapy Study: Massage Therapy and Labour Outcomes

OBJECTIVE: To measure the benefits of massage, administered by a registered massage therapist, to pain management for women in active labour. DESIGN: A randomized controlled trial. SETTING: BC Women\'s Hospital, a tertiary level maternity teaching hospital in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. PARTICIPANTS: Healthy first time mothers experiencing an uncomplicated pregnancy who present to the hospital in labour. Seventy women will be enrolled in each trial arm. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome is time to use of epidural analgesia measured as cervical dilatation at the time of epidural insertion. Secondary outcomes include use of epidural and narcotic analgesia, and measures of intensity and characteristics of pain. DATA ANALYSIS: Study outcomes will be compared among women randomized to receive a maximum of five hours of massage during labour administered by a registered massage therapist versus usual care. Analysis will be by intention to treat. Prognostics factors not balanced between trial arms (massage and usual care) will be controlled for in a multivariate analysis.