Effect of cold hip bath on gastric motility and constipation-related symptoms in patients with functional constipation: A pilot study
Deepa Shukla, Raghavendra Rao, N. M. BabinaAbstract
Background:
Primary or functional constipation (FC) is defined as having symptoms of constipation for more than 6 months without any underlying cause such as medication side effects or an underlying medical condition. The evidence for the efficacy and safety of available treatment options for the management of constipation is limited. Therefore, using non-pharmacological and dietary approaches and changing lifestyle assumes significance. Different non-pharmacological measures are beneficial in functional constipation because they reduce stress, change the lifestyle and improve the constipation symptoms.
Objective:
To evaluate the effects of cold hip bath (CHB) on constipation symptoms and gastric motility in individuals with functional constipation.
Materials and Methods:
Participants were recruited from Medicine and Gastroenterology OPD, if they satisfied the eligibility criteria and gave consent to participate in the study. A total of 30 participants were randomly assigned to either an experimental or a control group. The experimental group (16 participants) was given a CHB intervention along with a high-fiber diet for 14 days. The control group (14 participants) followed only a high-fiber diet. Assessments were done for both groups on days 1 and 14. The assessments included were constipation assessment scale (CAS), constipation scoring system (CSS), patient assessment of constipation – quality of life (PAC-QOL), and surface electro gastro gram (EGG). Data Analysis was done using SPSS 20. Determination of significance was done with
Results:
The results suggested that, in the intervention group, there was a significant reduction in CAS (
Conclusion:
It can be concluded from this study that, CHB along with a high-fiber diet is beneficial to a greater degree in constipation-related symptoms compared to only a high-fiber diet. CHB does not show any significant changes in EGG. Although the present study suggests that there is no significant role of CHB in changing gastric motility, however, due to the limited sample size used in the present study, future studies need to be conducted using a larger sample size regarding the effect of CHB on gastric motility.