A Study to Assess the Effectiveness of Guided Imagery Technique in Reducing Low Back Pain Perception and Low Back Pain Disability among Third Trimester Antenatal Mothers

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY: 1. To assess the level of low back pain perception and low back pain disability before and after intervention among third trimester antenatal mothers. 2. To assess the effectiveness of Guided Imagery Technique in reducing low back pain perception and low back pain disability among third trimester antenatal mothers. 3. To correlate the level of low back pain perception and selected low back pain disability among third trimester antenatal mothers. 4. To determine the association between pretest level of low back pain perception and low back pain disability with selected demographic and clinical variables of third trimester antenatal mothers. HYPOTHESES: H1: There is significant reduction in low back pain perception after Guided Imagery Technique among third trimester antenatal mothers. H2: There is significant reduction in low back pain disability after Guided Imagery Technique among third trimester antenatal mothers. H3: There is a significant association between level of low pain perception and low back pain disability and selected demographic and clinical variables of third trimester antenatal mothers. Review was done on prevalence of low back pain among antenatal mothers and effectiveness of Guided Imagery Technique in reducing low back pain. The Conceptual Framework for this study was based on Modified J.W. Kenny’s Open System Model. Research design for this study was quasi experimental one group pre test post test time series design and purposive sampling technique was used and the sample size was 30. The researcher provided Guided Imagery technique to selected samples. The samples were made to utilize the intervention for 15 minutes for 7 days. Post test was conducted on 3rd ,5th and, 7th day of intervention. Numerical pain rating scale and modified Oswestery low back pain disability questionnaire was used to assess the low back pain perception and low back pain disability before and after intervention. MAIN FINDINGS OF THE STUDY: The results shows that during post test 3 on the 7th day, the mean level of low back pain perception score was 3.56 lower than the pre test mean level low back pain perception score of 6.56 among third trimester antenatal mothers. The obtained ‘t’ value 20.85 was highly significant at 0.05 level (p< 0.05). During post test 3 on the 7th day, the post test mean level of low back pain disability score was 9.50 lower than the pre test mean level low back pain disability score of 17.60 among third trimester antenatal mothers. The obtained ‘t’ value 15.92 was highly significant at 0.05 level (p< 0.05) . Hence the stated H1 hypothesis was accepted. During post test3 on the 7th day co relation between the low back pain perception and low back pain disability was 0.72,which was high degree positive correlation. There was significant association between educational status and low back pain perception (χ2 = 11.2 P < 0.5) and low back pain disability (χ2 = 6.1 P < 0.5) , and there was no association between age, residential area ,occupation ,dietary pattern and income with low back pain perception and low back pain disability. CONCLUSION: The main conclusion drawn from this present study was that most of the third trimester antenatal mothers had severe low back pain perception and severe low back pain disability. The proper Guided Imagery technique was effective in reducing the low back pain perception and low back pain disability.(personal care, walking, sitting, standing, sleeping, social life, employment, lifting