Ear Massage Effect on Bowel Activity After Surgery

NCT06862986 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: EarMassageMersinU
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 40
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Constipation is seen in patients undergoing orthopedic surgical interventions at rates as high as 23% to 94%. Constipation develops more frequently in individuals undergoing major orthopedic surgical interventions such as lower extremity arthroplasties and lower extremity fracture repairs. Ear massage is one of the methods that is thought to be effective in preventing or reducing constipation that may develop in the early period by activating the parasympathetic nervous system after surgical intervention, increasing intestinal peristalsis and emptying the intestinal contents. The ear both contains its own unique points and is directly or indirectly connected to 12 body meridians. Massage applied to the ear provides balance between vital energy (qi) and blood flow (yin-yang) (12). The qi of the person stimulated by massaging these points in the ear is connected to certain organs such as the intestines through channels or meridians. Thanks to this connection, bowel movements can be stimulated and constipation can be eliminated. Ear massage has the potential to be an effective non-pharmacological method for the relief of gastrointestinal problems such as constipation.

Conditions

Constipation; Lower Extremity Surgery

Keywords

Ear massage; lower extremity surgery; constipation; bowel activity

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Time for the return of the bowel sound

  The time of the first return of the bowel sounds of the patients after the surgical intervention will be recorded by asking the researcher by asking twice a day (morning-evening).

  Up to three days

• First defecation time after surgery

  The time of the patients' first defecation time after surgical intervention will be recorded by asking the investigator by asking twice a day (morning-evening).

  Up to three days

Secondary Outcomes (2)

• the number of bowel sounds

  up to three days

• use of defecation aids

  up to three days

Study Arms (2)

Control group

NO INTERVENTION

In the clinic where the study was conducted, patients who will undergo lower extremity surgery are placed on bed rest and restricted movement before surgical intervention and hospitalized in the clinic for approximately one day to ensure optimum preparation of the patient for surgery. During this period, the constipation status of the patients before surgical intervention is evaluated and if the patients state that they are unable to defecate, an enema is administered to ensure defecation before surgical intervention. After surgical intervention, patients are on absolute bed rest for 24 hours and their first mobilization is provided upon physician's request. In this period, the first gas and defecation time of the patients are routinely recorded by the nurses in the ward, and enemas (sodium phosphate) and laxatives (lactulose) are administered to patients who do not have gas and defecation in the first 3 days after surgical intervention. In the study, no procedure other than routine t

Ear massage group

EXPERIMENTAL

At least one Intervention must be specified for an Interventional study. Patients included in the study group will receive ear massage in addition to the routine treatment and care practices of the clinic. Ear massage application will be started in the evening of the first day after surgical intervention (at 19:30) and will be applied twice a day at least 30 minutes after morning and evening meals (07:30 am, 19:30 pm) for 3 minutes each, similar to the literature (8,9,12). The bowel sounds of the patients will be re-evaluated before and 10 minutes after the ear massage application, and the excretory activities form will be filled out. Ear massage application will be terminated when the patient defecates or when the patient is given an enema.

Other: Ear massage

Interventions

Ear massage OTHER

At least one Intervention must be specified for an Interventional study. Patients included in the study group will receive ear massage in addition to the routine treatment and care practices of the clinic. Ear massage application will be started in the evening of the first day after surgical intervention (at 19:30) and will be applied twice a day at least 30 minutes after morning and evening meals (07:30 am, 19:30 pm) for 3 minutes each, similar to the literature (8,9,12). The bowel sounds of the patients will be re-evaluated before and 10 minutes after the ear massage application, and the excretory activities form will be filled out. Ear massage application will be terminated when the patient defecates or when the patient is given an enema.

Ear massage group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 65 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Not signing the Informed Volunteer Consent Form,
• Under 18 years of age and over 65 years of age,
• Unconscious or having problems with orientation,
• Those who cannot speak Turkish and do not understand it,
• undergoing surgical intervention at sites other than the lower extremities,
• Physician-diagnosed chronic constipation or history of diseases that may affect intestinal peristalsis (inflammatory bowel disease, presence of abdominal tumor, surgical intervention or radiotherapy to the abdominal region, presence or suspicion of ileus, and pregnancy) and regular laxative users,
• Enemas administered before surgical intervention,
• Patients who have problems with the transition to oral feeding and who are unable to feed orally will be included in the study.

You may not qualify if:

• Not signing the Informed Volunteer Consent Form,
• Under 18 years of age and over 65 years of age,
• Unconscious or having problems with orientation,
• Those who cannot speak Turkish and do not understand it,
• undergoing surgical intervention at sites other than the lower extremities,
• Physician-diagnosed chronic constipation or history of diseases that may affect intestinal peristalsis (inflammatory bowel disease, presence of abdominal tumor, surgical intervention or radiotherapy to the abdominal region, presence or suspicion of ileus, and pregnancy) and regular laxative users,
• Enema administered before surgical intervention,
• Patients who have problems with transition to oral feeding and who cannot be fed orally will not be included in the study.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Mersin University: lead

Study Sites (1)

Mersin University

Mersin, Yenişehir, 33010, Turkey (Türkiye)

Location

Related Publications (9)

• Yue C, Liu Y, Zhang X, Xu B, Sheng H. Randomised controlled trial of a comprehensive protocol for preventing constipation following total hip arthroplasty. J Clin Nurs. 2020 Aug;29(15-16):2863-2871. doi: 10.1111/jocn.15299. Epub 2020 May 26.

  PMID: 32320100 RESULT

• Jiang ZF, Liu G, Sun XX, Zhi N, Li XM, Sun R, Zhang H. Auricular acupressure for constipation in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Front Physiol. 2023 Oct 16;14:1257660. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2023.1257660. eCollection 2023.

  PMID: 37908337 RESULT

• Kuo SY, Tsai SH, Chen SL, Tzeng YL. Auricular acupressure relieves anxiety and fatigue, and reduces cortisol levels in post-caesarean section women: A single-blind, randomised controlled study. Int J Nurs Stud. 2016 Jan;53:17-26. doi: 10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2015.10.006. Epub 2015 Oct 22.

  PMID: 26525188 RESULT

• Tseng YT, Chen IH, Lee PH, Lin PC. Effects of auricular acupressure on depression and anxiety in older adult residents of long-term care institutions: A randomized clinical trial. Geriatr Nurs. 2021 Jan-Feb;42(1):205-212. doi: 10.1016/j.gerinurse.2020.08.003. Epub 2020 Sep 11.

  PMID: 32921508 RESULT

• Jing X, Liu J, Wang C, Ji M, Chen X, Mei Y, Zhu QR. Auricular acupressure is an alternative in treating constipation in leukemia patients undergoing chemotherapy: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2018 May;31:282-289. doi: 10.1016/j.ctcp.2018.03.005. Epub 2018 Mar 14.

  PMID: 29705469 RESULT

• Nouhi E, Mansour-Ghanaei R, Hojati SA, Chaboki BG. The effect of abdominal massage on the severity of constipation in elderly patients hospitalized with fractures: A randomized clinical trial. Int J Orthop Trauma Nurs. 2022 Nov;47:100936. doi: 10.1016/j.ijotn.2022.100936. Epub 2022 Feb 24.

  PMID: 36274468 RESULT

• Seyyedrassoli, A., Ghahramanian, A., Azizi, A., Goljarian, S., Gillespie, M., & Aydinferd, S. (2018). Comparison of effectiveness of reflexology and abdominal massage on constipation among orthopedic patients: A single-blind randomized controlled trial. International Journal of Medical Research & Health Sciences, 5

  RESULT

• Lee TH, Lee JS, Hong SJ, Jang JY, Jeon SR, Byun DW, Park WY, Kim SI, Choi HS, Lee JC, Lee JS. Risk factors for postoperative ileus following orthopedic surgery: the role of chronic constipation. J Neurogastroenterol Motil. 2015 Jan 1;21(1):121-5. doi: 10.5056/jnm14077.

  PMID: 25537675 RESULT

• G Rler H, Y Ld Z FT, Bekmez F. A Common Complication in Orthopedic Patients: Postoperative Constipation and Related Risk Factors. J Perianesth Nurs. 2023 Oct;38(5):e15-e20. doi: 10.1016/j.jopan.2023.05.004. Epub 2023 Aug 12.

  PMID: 37578408 RESULT

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Constipation

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Signs and Symptoms, Digestive; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Masking Details: When the research is completed, the data will be transferred to the computer environment by a statistician who does not know the A and B groups, and the data will be analyzed by a statistician independent of the research and the findings will be reported.
• Purpose: SUPPORTIVE CARE
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: PhD , Department of Public Health Nursing, Principal investigator, Assoc. Prof. Dr.

Model Details: Prospective, parallel, Two-arm, randomized controlled clinical trial

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: March 5, 2025
• First Posted: March 7, 2025
• Study Start: September 10, 2025
• Primary Completion: December 1, 2025
• Study Completion: December 4, 2025
• Last Updated: December 5, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-12

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

TU (1)