The use of perineal massage to reduce tissue damage during childbirth.

This descriptive, correlational study was designed to examine the relationship between the independent variables: perineal massage, position of women during delivery and use of lubricant during second stage, the independent variable, and tissue damage. A total of 58 clients of a private birthing center selected to participate in either the control or experimental groups. Participants in the experimental group were given massage instruction, mineral oil and a massage record. Perineal massage did not significantly reduce the incidence of episiotomies or lacerations. There was no correlation between the total number of minutes that perineal massage was performed and the total amount of tissue damage. Using standard statistic interpretation, there was not significant difference between the position of the women during delivery and the amount of tissue damage. However, this approached significance. Taking into consideration the small sample size, results should be interpreted as inconclusive.