EFFECTIVENESS OF DRY HEAT APPLICATION IN REDUCING POST-EPISIOTOMY PAIN DURING EARLY POSTPARTUM RECOVERY

Abstract

Post-episiotomy pain can hinder a mother’s physical recovery, emotional well-being, breastfeeding, and mother–infant bonding. Effective pain management during the early postpartum period is therefore essential. Non-pharmacological strategies, such as dry heat and moist heat applications, have been shown to alleviate discomfort; however, limited evidence compares their effectiveness. This study was conducted in the postnatal ward of a secondary healthcare hospital in Tharparkar, Sindh, Pakistan. A total of 1,094 postpartum women with episiotomies were randomly assigned to two groups: dry heat (n=547) and moist heat (n=547). Pain levels were assessed using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) before and after each intervention, administered twice daily for two consecutive days. Data were analyzed using SPSS, with statistical significance set at p<0.05.

By day two, mean VAS scores decreased from 6.1 to 2.5 in the dry heat group, compared to 6.2 to 3.8 in the moist heat group (p<0.001). Furthermore, 65% of women in the dry heat group achieved effective pain relief (VAS ≤3), compared to 45% in the moist heat group. These findings suggest that dry heat therapy is more effective than moist heat in relieving post-episiotomy pain during the early postpartum period. Given its significant reduction in pain and higher effectiveness rates, dry heat application should be considered a first-line non-pharmacological intervention for postpartum pain management.