Effleurage and Slow Stroke Back Massage Reduce Menstrual Pain Among the Female Students

During menstrual period, female students experience pain and physical discomfort and it may decrease their performance. The menstrual pain was then assessed with two massage technique: effleurage and slow stroke back massage. Thirty two female students aged 18-21 years old of Ngudi Waluyo Midwifery Academy of 2015 as total sampling population were separated to two groups. Group 1 obtained effleurage massages whilst Group 2 experienced slow stroke back massage group. Sixteen students for each experimental group were selected through a purposive sampling technique. A quasy experiments with two group pretest-posttest design was employed in this study. The menstrual pain was scored using numeric rating scale by the researchers. The results exhibited a significant decrease of menstrual pain among the female students after obtained the massage. Both methods are recommended to increase student performance related to stress during menstruation.