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NCT Number: NCT05908292

Optimizing Postpartum Pelvic Health Through Self-Scar Tissue Massage of Episiotomy and Perineal Scar Tissue A Pilot RCT

The goal of this Pilot Randomized Control Trial (RCT) is to determine if a larger RCT evaluating the effect of self-scar tissue massage of episiotomy and/or vagina/perineal tear scar tissue on pelvic health outcomes is feasible.

The main questions it aims to answer are:

Can the investigators recruit 130 participants and aim for 80% retention of participants in this study?

Are the response rates to questionnaires and completeness of questionnaires acceptable?

Do the participants find the self-scar tissue massage intervention easy and acceptable to perform and do they adhere to the protocol?

Type of Study: Clinical Trial

Participant Population/Health Conditions: The participant population will be 18 years of age or older, primiparous, within 1 year postpartum after vaginal delivery with healed episiotomy and/or vaginal perineal tear(s) as confirmed to them by their maternity care provider or family doctor at their 6 week postpartum check or other appointment. The participants will also need to have sufficient proficiency in English to understand intervention instructional video and complete written questionnaires.

Investigators will compare the scores on two reliable and validated pelvic health questionnaires in those in the intervention and control groups. The intervention group will be provided an instructional video on self-scar tissue massage and asked to perform self-scar massage and record their intervention and experience over a 6-week period. The control group will receive routine postnatal care (no self-scar massage training or performance). Patient medical records will be used to collect demographic data and labour and delivery characteristics. Two reliable and validated pelvic health questionnaires will be used for outcome measures. Baseline outcomes will be performed at the start of the study and then repeated 6 weeks later and again 18 weeks later.

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Key information

Conditions

Episiotomy; Complications Cicatrix Fibrosis Pathologic Processes Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Perineal Tear Scar Tissue Vaginal Tear Resulting From Childbirth

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

Female

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

University of Calgary

Calgary, Alberta, T2N 1N4, Canada

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Age ≥18 years
  • Primiparous
  • Within 1 year postpartum after vaginal delivery with episiotomy and/or vaginal/perineal tear
  • Healed episiotomy and/or vagina/perineal tear as confirmed to them by their maternity care provider or family doctor at their postpartum check or other appointment
  • Sufficient proficiency in English to understand intervention instructional video and complete written questionnaires.

Exclusion criteria

  • Self-reported current vaginal infection or urinary tract infection
  • Self-reported gynecological surgery after delivery

Treatment and study plan

Pelvic Floor Scar Tissue Self-Scar Massage

Procedure

Self scar-massage intervention of healed pelvic floor scar tissue for 5 minutes, 3x/week for 6 weeks.

Primary outcomes

  1. Rate of Participant Recruitment

    Time frame: 1 year

    To evaluate the rate of participant recruitment, the investigators will calculate how many participants were recruited on average per month per hospital site.

  2. Rate of Participant Attrition

    Time frame: 1 year

    To evaluate the rate of participant attrition, the investigators will calculate the number of participants that drop out of the study over the total number of participants that are randomized in the study over the study period.

  3. Number of Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory (PFDI-20) Outcome Measures with missing data

    Time frame: 1 year

    To evaluate the response rate and the completeness of the PFDI-20 the investigators will track how many questionnaires are not completed and determine if there is any missing data in the responses to the PFDI-20.

  4. Number of The Carol Scale with missing data

    Time frame: 1 year

    To evaluate the response rate and the completeness of the Carol Scale the investigators will track how many questionnaires are not completed and determine if there is any missing data in the responses to the Carol Scale.

  5. Number of participants to complete self-scar massage protocol as intended

    Time frame: 1 year

    To evaluate the acceptability of the self-scar massage intervention, the investigators will examine participants' reported intervention frequency and time of intervention on their records and note any deviation from the intervention protocol. Some participant interviews will be conducted from a program evaluation lens to determine how the intervention was received. Exemplar quotes will be used to describe participants experience of the self-scar massage intervention.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of Calgary

Other

Collaborators

  • Alberta Health services
  • Alberta Innovates Health Solutions

Registry information

Official study title

Optimizing Postpartum Pelvic Health Through Self-Scar Tissue Massage of Episiotomy and Perineal Scar Tissue The EPIS Trial: A Pilot Randomized Control Trial to Determine Feasibility

Acronym: EPIS

Important dates

Study start
2023
Primary completion
2025
Study completion
2025
First posted
Jun 18, 2023
Registry last updated
Mar 30, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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