Effectiveness of shiatsu massage on chemoradiation-induced pain among elderly women with cervical cancer

The study aimed to assess the effectiveness of shiatsu back massage on chemo-radiation-induced Pain Among elderly women with cervical cancer. 60 elderly women, ages varying from 60 years and above, with cervical cancer were selected randomly at Government Thoothukudi Medical College Hospital (T.N.). Elderly women with cervical cancer were divided into two groups-experimental (N=30), and control (30), by lottery method. The pretest level of chemo-radiationinduced pain was assessed by using the numerical pain scale in both groups was perceived as severe. A Shiatsu back massage of 10 minutes per day for 4 weeks was given to the experimental group. The control and experimental groups’ post-test mean difference was 1.63. This difference is large and significant. It was tested using student independent t-test. In the Experimental group the Mann-Whitney U- test t= 9.52 which was highly significant at P < 0.001 level. There was no significant association between pre and post test levels of Chemo-radiation-induced Pain with selected demographic variables. Elderly women with cervical cancer who had undergone shiatsu back massage had a statistically significant in reducing Chemo-radiation pain.