Shiatsu and Labor Induction

I just finished reading the above article in Massage Magazine. They are reporting about a study done in England in 2000.

The subjects attended a hospital consultant clinic appointment at 40 weeks gestation and were taught the massage techniques by a midwife who had completed a six-day shiatsu course. The control group consisted of 76 women who attended similar clinics but were not taught the shiatsu techniques.

Three shiatsu points were taught to the experimental group: Gall Bladder 21 (GB-21), Large Intestine 4 (LI-4) and Spleen 6 (S-6). All points were held with thumb pressure until the woman experienced a reaction. Once a reaction was felt, the woman was instructed to work the point deeply and firmly for as long and as often as was comfortable to her. Exercises and breathing techniques were also taught to the experimental group, and the women were encouraged to use the shiatsu techniques at home.

Outcome information for both groups was audited, including induction, type of delivery, length of labor and analgesia used. The women in the experimental group completed a questionnaire to document their use of shiatsu.

The women who used shiatsu were significantly more likely to labor spontaneously than those who did not (p=0.038). Of those who used shiatsu, 17 percent more went into spontaneous labor than those who were not taught shiatsu. Of those who completed the audit questionnaire, 80 percent found the shiatsu techniques helpful.

Although with Ivy I went into labor a few days before my due date, I have known close friends who went over their due dates, and it was traumatic for them to wait, and also uncomfortable to be induced with chemicals. While I was attending massage school, we were taught some reflexology points to stimulate uterine contractions. I hadn't heard of shiatsu used in this manner, but it makes sense.