The effect of abdominal massage on the onset of epidural blockade in laboring women.

Previous work has demonstrated that light abdominal massage can hasten the regression of epidural blockade following elective laparoscopy. 1 Cutaneous nerve stimulation may increase blood flow in the dorsal root and alter the disposition of local anaesthetic. The onset of brachial plexus blockade is hastened by the presence of pain, or repetitive muscle exercise. 2 Repetitive neural firing may facilitate the entry of local anaesthetic and subsequent binding to sodium channels. We postulated that either mechanism may hasten the onset of epidural blockade. This study was performed to investigate the effect of light abdominal massage on the onset of epidural analgesia in labouring women.