Schitter, Agnes Maria; Nedeljkovic, Marko; Baur, Heiner; Fleckenstein, Johannes; Raio, Luigi (2014). Effects of Passive Hydrotherapy WATSU (WaterShiatsu) in the Third Trimester of Pregnancy: Results of a Controlled Pilot Study. Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine eCAM, 2015, p. 437650. Hindawi 10.1155/2015/437650
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Background. WATSU (WaterShiatsu) is a complementary therapeutic treatment method comprising passive stretches and massage techniques administered in 35°C warm water. Pregnant women claim safe methods to reduce pain, stress, and fatigue. Therefore, we conducted a pilot study evaluating the effects of WATSU on pregnancy-related complaints in third trimester pregnant women. Methods. Nine healthy pregnant women at gestational week ≥34 were included in an intervention group (receiving WATSU) and compared to eight women in a passive control group (receiving no treatment). WATSU was performed on days 1 and 4 of the study, accompanied by ultrasound examinations. Outcomes include physiological and psychometric as well as qualitative data. Participants in the control group completed questionnaires only. Results. WATSU was found to significantly lower participants’ levels of stress and pain and to improve their mental health-related quality of life and mood. In comparison to the passive control group, participants in the intervention group reported reduction in perceived stress from day 1 to day 8 (p = 0.036, Cohen’s f = 0.57). Qualitative data indicate that WATSU was appreciated as enjoyable and deeply relaxing. No negative side effects were reported. Conclusion. Our findings support the notion that WATSU yields therapeutic benefits for pregnant women and warrant further research. This study has been registered at ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01708018.
Item Type: |
Journal Article (Original Article) |
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Division/Institute: |
04 Faculty of Medicine > Medical Education > Institute of Complementary and Integrative Medicine (IKIM) 04 Faculty of Medicine > Department of Gynaecology, Paediatrics and Endocrinology (DFKE) > Clinic of Gynaecology |
UniBE Contributor: |
Schitter, Agnes Maria, Nedeljkovic, Marko, Fleckenstein, Johannes, Raio, Luigi |
Subjects: |
600 Technology > 610 Medicine & health |
ISSN: |
1741-427X |
Publisher: |
Hindawi |
Language: |
English |
Submitter: |
Johannes Fleckenstein |
Date Deposited: |
21 Nov 2014 10:02 |
Last Modified: |
05 Dec 2022 14:35 |
Publisher DOI: |
10.1155/2015/437650 |
PubMed ID: |
25815033 |
BORIS DOI: |
10.7892/boris.54398 |
URI: |
https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/54398 |
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