The Benefits of Prenatal Aromatherapy Massage and Prenatal Yoga in Improving Beta Endorphin and Alleviating Back Pain for Pregnant Women

Abstract

Aggravating back pain during pregnancy can cause stress for pregnant women and hinder the growth of fetus. Yoga and aromatherapy back massage can help alleviate physiological back pain during pregnancy. The research determines the effectiveness of combined methods of aromatherapy back massage and prenatal yoga in improving beta endorphin and alleviating back pain for pregnant women. Sixty healthy primigravida women without any complication are divided into 4 groups (n = 15 for each group), in the following arrangement: a control group which only participates in prenatal workout once a month and treatment groups which participate in prenatal workout once a week for 4 weeks, consisting of pregnant woman group attending prenatal yoga class and aromatherapy back massage, pregnant woman group attending only yoga class, and pregnant woman group attending only aromatherapy back massage. The level of beta endorphin in the blood plasma is measured after 4 treatment sessions. Back pain is measured using visual analogue scale (VAS). The difference between the scores of blood plasma and back pain following 4 treatment sessions in the four groups is determined using One-way Anova Post Hoc LSD Test. We have analysed 12 women from each group. The level of beta endorphin is significantly higher on each treatment group (p < 0,05). Back pain score significantly decreases in the observed group with p-value of 0,001. The combination of prenatal yoga and aromatherapy back massage can significantly reduce the intensity of back pain and increase the level of beta endorphin. This research discovers the direct impact resulting in reduced back pain with an increased level of beta endorphin in groups receiving combined treatment in the forms of prenatal yoga and aromatherapy back massage classes. Keywords— prenatal yoga, aromatherapy massage, back pain