Comparison of the effects of two methods of auriculotherapy and foot reflexology on the severity of labor pain in primiparous women: A randomized, single-blind clinical trial study

Background and Objective: Reflexology and auriculotherapy are among the safest non-drug methods to reduce pain. The present study aimed to compare the effect of auriculotherapy and reflexology on the severity of labor pain. Materials and Methods: This clinical trial study was conducted on 96 pregnant women who referred to Bahar Hospital in Shahrood city (Iran) for delivery. The participants were randomly assigned to three reflexology, auriculotherapy and control groups (32 people in each group). In the intervention groups (reflexology and auriculotherapy) in 4, 6, and 8 cm dilatations, the desired interventions were performed each time for 20 min. Routine care was also performed in the control group. Pain was measured and compared using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) once before the intervention and three more times after each intervention. Results: Before the intervention, the average pain intensity in the three groups did not have a statistically significant difference (P=0.77), while after the intervention, there was a statistically significant difference in each of the 4, 6, and 8 cm dilatations between the control group was observed with both other treatment groups (P<0.001), but there was no significant difference between the reflexology and auriculotherapy groups in all stages after the intervention (P<0.05). Conclusion: The results of the present study show the remarkable and almost equal effectiveness of reflexology and auriculotherapy in different dilatations, which led to the reduction of labor pain.