The Effectiveness Of Ball Squeezing Therapy And Warm Compress On Post-Caesarean Section Pain Levels

Vollständiger Abstract

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Pain following caesarean section is one of the problems that can hinder the recovery process if it is not properly managed. Non-pharmacological interventions such as ball squeezing therapy and warm compresses can be used to improve the effectiveness of pain management. The purpose of this study was to analyze the effectiveness of ball squeezing therapy and warm compresses on pain levels among post-sectio caesarea patients at Ngudi Waluyo Wlingi Regional Hospital. The study used a three-group quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design, consisting of two intervention groups and one control group, involving 54 respondents selected using purposive sampling, with 18 respondents in each group. Pain levels were measured using the Numeric Rating Scale five minutes before and after the intervention. Warm compress therapy was applied using a Warm Water Zak (WWZ) at a temperature of 45–50°C twice, with each session lasting 10 minutes. Ball squeezing therapy was performed by rhythmically grasping and releasing a rubber ball according to breathing patterns and was administered twice, with each session lasting 10 minutes. The Kruskal–Wallis test was used to compare pain levels among the three groups, while the Mann–Whitney U test was used for pairwise comparisons between two groups. The average pain reduction in the control group was 2.39 points. The average pain reduction in the ball squeezing therapy group was 2.50 points. The average pain reduction in the warm compress group was 3.89 points. The reduction in pain between the control and warm compress groups averaged 1.66 points, with a p-value of 0.001, while the reduction in pain between the control and ball squeezing therapy groups averaged 0.50 points, with a p-value of 0.117. Warm compresses work through vasodilation and reduce inflammatory mediators around the surgical area, thereby providing a faster analgesic effect. Meanwhile, ball squeezing therapy works through the Gate Control Theory mechanism, but its distraction effect makes it less optimal because it does not directly affect the painful area. It was concluded that warm compresses are more effective than ball squeezing therapy in reducing post-caesarean section pain.