Assessment of techniques of massage and pumping in the treatment of breast engorgement by thermography

Abstract

Objective to evaluate techniques of massage and pumping in the treatment of postpartum breast engorgement through thermography. Method the study was conducted in the Human Milk Bank of a hospital in Curitiba, Brazil. We randomly selected 16 lactating women with engorgement with the classification lobar, ampullary and glandular, moderate and intense. We compared the differential patterns of temperature, before and after the treatment by means of massage and pumping. Results we found a negative gradient of 0.3°C of temperature between the pre- and post-treatment in the experimental group. Breasts with intense engorgement were 0.7°C warmer when compared with moderate engorgement. Conclusion massage and electromechanical pumping were superior to manual methods when evaluated by thermography. REBEC: U1111-1136-9027.

Puerperal Breast Engorgement: A Technological Intervention

“…and older, and women with bilateral engorgement of any classification as to their intensity or location in the breast. 4 Exclusion criteria were: lactating mothers with a history of palpable or non-palpable breast lesion, mammoplasty and/or use of breast implants, previous history of lactational mastitis, breast pain, or analgesic use less than two hours before the study.…”

“…2 Painful situations encountered by breastfeeding mothers are one of the main causes for the abandonment of breastfeeding in the first weeks after childbirth, 2,3 fact that can be avoided by means of appropriate approach, using technological resources to massage the breasts and extract the milk. 4 Massage in engorged breasts complements milking, 2 as it favors the milk ejection reflex and breaks the intermolecular structures responsible for milk viscosity. 5 Some authors argue that massage should not injure the underlying skin or tissues.…”

“…In this scenario, emerges the infrared thermography. 4 Thermography is a technique widely applied in industry and still timidly in the medical field. It acquires the infrared radiation emitted by a body, determining its surface temperature.…”

Caring for Women Experiencing Breast Engorgement: A Case Report

“…Ahmadi compared acupressure with warm and cold compresses and found that acupressure produced statistically significant improvements in pain, but not to the same degree as did the warm and cold compresses ( P < .001) . An experimental study conducted with 88 women in Sweden evaluated the addition of acupuncture to standard care (oxytocin spray, massage, and hand expression) and found that it was not associated with a difference in reported symptom severity ( P = .11) …”

“…Additional techniques described in the literature include reverse pressure softening (gentle application of pressure from the fingertips around the areola prior to feeding) to improve newborn latching and milk expression leading to pain relief . An experimental study with 16 women in Brazil compared the use of a breast pump and manual expression and found that improved relief of engorgement (as evaluated by breast temperature) was associated with pumping after massage ( P = .03), whereas there was no difference in those who only underwent hand expression ( P = .8153) …”