Effect of Abdominal Massage on Abdominal Distension, Pain, Comfort, and Patient Satisfaction After Colonoscopy: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Year 2025, Volume: 15 Issue: 3, 695 - 704, 30.09.2025

Dilek Öztürk , Aysel Gürkan

https://doi.org/10.33808/clinexphealthsci.1735355

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to determine the effect of abdominal massage on post-colonoscopy abdominal distension, pain, comfort, and patient satisfaction.
Methods: The randomized controlled study was conducted with 166 patients who underwent colonoscopy without sedation. No intervention was applied to the control group (n= 83). The experimental group (n= 83) received an abdominal massage for 15 minutes on the day of colonoscopy (day 0), after the procedure, in the evening on day 0, and in the morning and evening on day 1. Abdominal distension, pain, comfort and satisfaction were assessed with Visual Analogue Scale.
Results: In the experimental group, abdominal distension and pain level decreased and comfort level increased after abdominal massage compared to the pre-massage level (p<.01). In addition, compared to the control group, the abdominal distension and pain level of the patients in the experimental group were substantially lower, and their abdominal comfort level and satisfaction with the procedure were substantially higher (p<.01).
Conclusion: Abdominal massage after colonoscopy reduced abdominal distension and pain, increased abdominal comfort and patient satisfaction with the procedure.

Keywords

colonoscopy , abdominal pain , patient satisfaction , randomised controlled trial , nursing

Ethical Statement

All research procedures were complied with ethical standards and the research was approved by the Clinical Research Ethics Committee of the Marmara University Faculty of Medicine (date: 24.07.2020, protocol number: 09.2020.885) and the hospital management where the study was conducted (date: 13.07.2020). The study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (ClinicalTrials.gov ID NCT04979351), and no modifications were made to the study protocol after its initiation.

Supporting Institution

None

Project Number

None

Thanks

The authors are grateful to all the study participants for their cooperation in this study. This study was submitted as a Ph.D. thesis to Marmara University, Institute of Health Sciences.

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