A Comparative Study to Find the Effectiveness of Hot Water Bag Application Versus Mustard Oil Massage on Joint Pain Among Elderly in a Selected Village at Palakkad District, Kerala

Abstract

Pain is an unpleasant experience. Pain in old age is difficult to explain. Musculoskeletal problems in old age are common nowadays. Joint pain or arthritis pain is one of the most common musculoskeletal problems in old age. More use of analgesics for pain relief may also end up with more side effects. Natural remedies to relieve pain are most beneficial to promote comfort and well-being. Hot application for pain relief is a traditional practice. Research evidence shows that the mustard oil has lots of health benefits, and pain relief is one among them. Hence it was decided to compare the effectiveness of hot water bag application and mustard oil massage in arthritis pain. Comparative descriptive design was adopted in this study. The sample size was 60. Thirty samples were allotted to hot water bag group and 30 samples were allotted to mustard oil massage group. The samples who fulfill the inclusion criteria were selected by using convenient sampling technique. The demographic data were collected by using a structured questionnaire and the pain was assessed by using visual analog scale before and after the intervention. For one group, hot water application was given, and for the other group, mustard oil massage was given. The effectiveness of both the intervention was assessed. It was found that there was a significant difference in pain reduction occurred in both the groups, but there was no significant difference noticed between these two interventions. Hence it can be proved that both the interventions are effective in reducing arthritis pain of the elderly population