Introduction: Childbirth is one of the most important events in a woman's life, and the pain of childbirth is the most severe pain they have ever experienced. Most of the non-pharmacological pain control techniques are non-invasive and do not threaten the health of the mother or the baby.
Methods: To identify studies aimed at the effect of massage on reducing labor pain, this systematic review was conducted in PubMed, Science Direct, and Google Scholar databases based on the keywords pain relief, labor pain, relaxing, and massage between 2018 and 2023. After reviewing the summary of the articles and checking the title, the irrelevant articles were removed, the full text of the articles was searched, and the articles related to the topic were included in the study.
Results: According to the studies, massage is the oldest method of tactile stimulation used to relieve labor pain. However, the complete elimination of pain does not necessarily mean a more satisfying labor experience for women. Massage relaxes and reduces labor pain, relieves muscle spasms, and increases physical activity, as well as providing general relief during labor. Non-pharmacological interventions such as massage are effective labor pain management techniques because they reduce pain perception, anxiety, and stress levels, as well as the need for medication, and increase women's satisfaction with childbirth
Conclusion: Pain relief during childbirth is one of the essential aspects of midwifery care. Non-pharmacological methods do not necessarily reduce labor pain or facilitate vaginal delivery, but they can enable women to actively work with their physiological responses. Massage may help women cope with labor pain and give them a better birth experience; however, the quality of the evidence is generally low or very low