Effect of Cryotherapy on Pain Perception and Wound Healing among Mothers with Episiotomy

The study focused on evaluating the effect of cryotheraphy on pain perception and wound healing among mothers with episiotomy at Sri Ramachandra Hospital, Chennai. The objectives formulated for this study were to -Evaluate the effect of cryotherapy on pain perception, effect of cryotherapy on wound healing, compare the pain perception and wound healing and to associate the demographic and clinical variables among mothers with episiotomy. The study population for the experimental and control group were selected by non-randomized convenient sampling technique. For experimental group, cryotherapy and for control group routine episiotomy care was given after pre-observation. Post-assessment was done immediately after, 1 hour, and 2 hours of application for both the groups. Totally each samples had five sitting in both the groups. The significant findings of the study were that majority of the samples were in the age group of 21-25 years, educated till high school. Epsiotomy pain perception reduced immediately, during first and second hour after cryotherapy at a highly significant level of p<0.001 among mothers with episiotomy in experimental group. Episiotomy pain perception increased at a significant level of p<0.001 immediately after routine episiotomy care for mothers with episiotomy in control group. There was significant reduction in episiotomy pain perception at a level of p<0.001 in first and second hour after routine episiotomy care in control group. Comparison of immediate and first hour episiotomy pain perception showed significant reduction at a level of p<0.001 among mothers with episiotomy in experimental group, whereas second hour episiotomy pain perception showed no significance. There was significant improvement in episiotomy wound healing in the experimental group at a level of p<0.05. There was highly significant association between habitance and immediate episiotomy pain perception at a level of p<0.001 and with first hour episiotomy pain perception at a level of p<0.05 during the first sitting.