A quasi experimental study to evaluate the effectiveness of massage with ginger oil on knee pain, knee stiffness and physical functioning among senior citizens residing at selected areas of district Mohali, Punjab

 

Damini Panwar¹, Rashmi Choudhary², Ravita Verma³

¹M.Sc. Nursing, College of Nursing, Mohali, Punjab.

²M.Sc. Nursing, Professor, Department of Medical Surgical Nursing.

³M.Sc. Nursing, Associate Professor, Department of Medical Surgical Nursing

(Mata Sahib Kaur College of Nursing, Mohali, Punjab).

 

ABSTRACT:

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of massage with ginger oil on knee pain, knee stiffness and physical functioning among senior citizens residing at selected areas of district Mohali, Punjab. A quantitative research approach with Quasi experimental research design was adopted. 80 senior citizens were selected using convenient sampling technique. Rating scale was used to assess the knee pain, knee stiffness and physical functioning. Result showed that in experimental group, the pre- test mean score of knee pain was 8.425 ± 1.152 and after massage with ginger oil, the post- test mean score was 3.425 ± 0.958. In control group, the pre- test mean score of knee pain was 8.625 ± 1.234 and post- test mean score was 8.750 ± 1.463. In experimental group, the pre- test mean score of knee stiffness was 4.975 ± 0.832, and after massage with ginger oil, the post- test mean score was 2.425 ± 0.675. In control group, the pre- test mean score of knee stiffness was 5.225 ± 0.947 and post- test mean score was 5.300 ± 0.911. In experimental group, the pre- test mean score of physical functioning was 18.325 ± 2.999 and after massage with ginger oil the post- test mean score was 10.875 ± 2.267. In control group, the pre- test mean score of physical functioning was 19.100 ± 3.120 and post- test mean score was 18.975 ± 3.034. There was no significant association of pre-test level of knee pain, knee stiffness and physical functioning with selected socio-demographic variables among senior citizens in experimental and control group i.e. age (in years), weight (in Kg), height (in cm), Body mass index (Kg/m²), gender, marital status, educational status, monthly family income (in Rupees), dietary habits, durations of knee pain, exercise (type of exercise/walking, type of muscle activity during exercise, frequency of exercise in days/week, duration of exercise in a day ) and type of treatment. Hence, it has been concluded that ginger oil is effective for reducing knee pain, knee stiffness and impaired physical functioning.

 

 

INTRODUCTION:

Over the years, every step adds a little wear and tear. By the time a person is 65 years or older, they have an increased chance of experiencing persistent or occasional knee pain which is the common concern for seniors.¹ Knee pain is marked by dull, aching pain in the front of the knee and in the area under and around the knee cap.² Tightness or stiffness in the knees can be caused by injuries, mechanical problems, or physical stressor on knees like extra weight.³ Knee stiffness, knee pain and duration of disease may affect the level of disability in the patients.⁴ Physical functioning declines with age; however, individual differences in the rate of decline exist. ⁵

 

Many methods are used to relieve pain and improve physical functioning. Exercise, acupuncture and massage therapy are few examples of it. Massage is manipulation of the body’s skin, muscles and connective tissues, usually with the hands, but also with mechanical tools applied to the body’s surface for therapeutic purpose. Massage with essential oil will help to ease discomfort and encourage better blood flow to the knees, as well as other joints, ligaments and tendons.⁶

 

Ginger essential oils are an amazing healing agent that contains chemicals with analgesic effects on the body. It is used for many purposes, including internally, topically and in aromatherapy.⁷ These therapeutic constituents enter the bloodstream and are carried around the body where they can deliver their beneficial healing powers. Because they are highly concentrated, only a small quantity of essential oil is required to bring about results.⁸

 

AIM OF THE STUDY:

The aim of the study is to evaluate the effectiveness of massage with ginger oil on knee pain, knee stiffness and physical functioning among senior citizens residing at selected areas of district Mohali, Punjab.

 

OPERATIONAL DEFINITIONS:

Effectiveness: It refers to the reduction of knee pain and knee stiffness as well as improvement in physical functioning after massage with ginger oil among senior citizens.

 

Massage:

It refers to the application of ginger oil over the affected knee for 10 minutes in rotating, kneading, gliding and tapping movements.

 

Ginger Oil:

It refers to a mixture prepared with the use of 300 gm of crushed dried ginger in 1 liter of mustard oil and keeping on simmer under low heat for 30 minutes to be applied on affected knee after the oil returns to room temperature.

 

HYPOTHESIS:

H₁- There is a significant difference between pre-test and post-test level of knee pain, knee stiffness and physical functioning among senior citizens in experimental group.

 

H₂- There is a significant difference between post-test level of knee pain, knee stiffness and physical functioning among senior citizens in experimental and control group.

 

H_3- There is a significant association between level of knee pain, knee stiffness and physical functioning with selected socio- demographic variables in experimental and control group.

 

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

Research Approach - Quantitative research approach

 

Research Design- Quasi experimental research design.

 

Research Setting- Selected areas of district Mohali, Punjab.

 

Target Population- Senior citizens residing at selected areas of district Mohali, Punjab.

 

Sample and Sampling Technique- 80 senior citizens, convenient sampling technique.

 

Inclusion Criteria

Senior citizens who:

·       are willing to participate

·       gave written informed consent.

·       can understand English/ Hindi or Punjabi.

 

Exclusion Criteria:

Senior citizens who are:

·       Allergic to ginger oil.

·       Having an open wound near the knee.

 

Independent variable:

Ginger oil

 

Dependent variables:

Knee pain, knee stiffness and physical functioning

 

Extraneous variables:

Age (in years), weight (in Kg), height (in cm), body mass index (Kg/m²), gender, marital status, educational status, monthly family income (in Rupees), dietary habits, duration of knee pain, exercise [type of exercise/walking, type of muscle activity during exercise, frequency of exercise (in days/week), duration of exercise in a day (in hours/min)] and type of treatment.

 

Description of Tool:

It consists of the following sections:

 

Section A: Socio-Demographic Variables

It consist of 12 variables

Section B: Rating scale to assess the knee pain, knee stiffness and physical functioning

22 items divided into 3 subscales are as follows:

·       Pain (5 items)

·       Stiffness (3 items)

·       Physical functioning (14 items)

 

Criterion Measure:

For each item, score ranges from 0-4 which correspond to: None (0 score), Mild (1 score), Moderate (2 score), Severe (3 score) and Extreme (4 score).

 

 

 

Data Collection Procedure:

Pre-test was taken from both experimental and control group.

Application of massage with ginger oil on knee was given among senior citizens in experimental group for a time period of 10 minutes daily for 7 consecutive days in rotating, kneading, gliding and tapping movements.

 

After 7 days of application of massage with ginger oil in experimental group, post- test was taken from senior citizens in experimental and control group.

RESULTS:

Table 1: Frequency and percentage distribution of socio demographic variables among senior citizens having knee pain, knee stiffness and impaired physical functioning.                                                                                                                                             N= 80

S. No.	Socio demographic variables	Experimental group (ne= 40)	Control group (nc = 40)	ꭓ2, df, p-value
		Frequency (%)	Frequency (%)
1.	Age (in years)
	60-64	15 (37.5%)	8 (20%)	4.064, 3, 0.255NS
	65-69	15 (37.5%)	15 (37.5%)
	70-74	6 (15%)	9 (22.5%)
	75-79	4 (10%)	8 (20%)
2.	Weight (in kg)
	50-59	5 (12.5%)	2 (5%)	7.496, 3, 0.058NS
	60-69	20 (50%)	13 (32.5%)
	70-79	12 (30%)	14 (35%)
	80-89	3 (7.5%)	11 (27.5%)
3.	Height (in cm)
	151- 160	8 (20%)	10 (25%)	2.782, 2, 0.249NS
	161- 170	26 (65%)	19 (47.5%)
	171-180	6 (15%)	11 (27.5%)
4.	Body mass index
	Less than 18.5 (underweight)	2 (5%)	0 (0%)	2.463, 2, 0.292NS
	18.5-24.9 (Normal)	15 (37.5%)	13 (32.5%)
	≥25 (Overweight)	23 (57.5%)	27 (67.5%)
5.	Gender
	Male	14 (35%)	15 (37.5%)	0.054, 1, 0.816NS
	Female	26 (65%)	25 (62.5%)
6.	Marital status
	Married	37 (92.5%)	37 (92.5%)	1.200, 2, 0.549NS
	Separated	0 (0%)	1 (2.5%)
	Widow /widower	3 (7.5%)	2 (5%)
7.	Educational status
	Upto primary	15 (37.5%)	18 (45%)	2.930, 3, 0.403NS
	Upto secondary	19 (47.5%)	16 (40%)
	Upto higher secondary	6 (15%)	4 (10%)
	Graduation and above	0 (0%)	2 (5%)
8.	Monthly family income (in rupees)
	15,000-20,000	10 (25%)	3 (7.5%)	7.789, 2, 0.020*
	20,001-25,000	26 (65%)	25 (62.5%)
	25,001-30,000	4 (10%)	12 (30%)
9.	Dietary habits
	Vegetarian	24 (60%)	24 (60%)	3.239, 2, 0.198NS
	Non- vegetarian	12 (30%)	7 (17.5%)
	Eggetarian	4 (10%)	9 (22.5%)
10.	Duration of knee pain
	<2 years	10 (25%)	4 (10%)	4.725, 2, 0.094NS
	2-4 years	22 (55%)	21 (52.5%)
	>4 years	8 (20%)	15 (37.5%)
11.	Are you doing exercise for knee pain or knee stiffness?
	Yes	13 (32.5%)	27 (67.5%)	9.800, 1, 0.002*
	No	27 (67.5%)	13 (32.5%)
12.	Are you taking any treatment for knee pain or knee stiffness?
	Yes	25 (63%)	25 (63%)	0.000,1, 1.000NS
	No	15 (38%)	15 (38%)

NS- Non Significant                                                                                                                                               *- Significant p< 0.05

 

Table 2: Frequency and percentage distribution of effectiveness of ginger oil on level of knee pain during pre-test and post- test among experimental group and control groups N= 80                       

Level of knee pain	Experimental group (ne = 40)		Control group (nc = 40)
	Pre test	Post test	Pre test	Post test
	Frequency (%)	Frequency (%)	Frequency (%)	Frequency (%)
None	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)
Mild	0 (0%)	39 (98%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)
Moderate	40 (100%)	1 (3%)	37 (93%)	35 (88%)
Severe	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	3 (8%)	5 (13%)
Extreme	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)
Paired t test, df, p value	30.472, 1, 0.000*		0.961,1, 0.342NS

NS- Non significant                                                                                                                                                  * - Significant p< 0.05

 

Table 1: Depicts that experimental and control group were homogenous in regard to sociodemographic variables.

 

Table 2: In experimental group, the pre- test mean score of knee pain was 8.425 ± 1.152 and after massage with ginger oil, the post- test mean score was 3.425 ± 0.958. In control group, the pre- test mean score of knee pain was 8.625 ± 1.234 and post- test mean score was 8.750 ± 1.463.

 

Table 3: In experimental group, the pre- test mean score of knee stiffness was 4.975 ± 0.832, and after massage with ginger oil, the post- test mean score was 2.425 ± 0.675. In control group, the pre- test mean score of knee stiffness was 5.225 ± 0.947 and post- test mean score was 5.300 ± 0.911.

 

Table 4: In experimental group, the pre- test mean score of physical functioning was 18.325 ± 2.999 and after massage with ginger oil the post- test mean score was 10.875 ± 2.267. In control group, the pre- test mean score of physical functioning was 19.100 ± 3.120 and post- test mean score was 18.975 ± 3.034.

 

Therefore, H₁ is accepted which states that there is a significant difference between pre-test and post-test level of knee pain, knee stiffness and physical functioning among senior citizens in experimental group.

 

Table 3: Frequency and percentage distribution of effectiveness of ginger oil on level of knee stiffness during pre-test and post- test among experimental group N = 80

Level of knee stiffness	Experimental group (ne = 40)		Control group (nc = 40)
	Pre test	Post test	Pre test	Post test
	Frequency (%)	Frequency (%)	Frequency (%)	Frequency (%)
None	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)
Mild	3 (8%)	37 (93%)	1(3%)	0 (0%)
Moderate	36 (90%)	3 (8%)	35 (88%)	35 (88%)
Severe	1 (3%)	0 (0%)	4 (10%)	5 (13%)
Extreme	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)
Paired t test, df, p value	27.014, 2, 0.000*		1.000, 2, 0.323NS

NS- Non significant                                                                                                                                                          * - Significant p< 0.05

 

Table 4: Frequency and percentage distribution of effectiveness of ginger oil on level of physical functioning during pre-test and post- test among experimental group N= 80

Level of physical functioning	Experimental group (ne = 40)		Control group (nc = 40)
	Pre test	Post test	Pre test	Post test
	Frequency (%)	Frequency (%)	Frequency (%)	Frequency (%)
None	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)
Mildly impaired	2 (5%)	36 (90%)	4 (10%)	3 (8%)
Moderately impaired	38 (95%)	4 (10%)	36 (90%)	37 (93%)
Severely impaired	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)
Extremely impaired	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)
Paired t test, df, p value	18.467, 1, 0.000*		1.000, 1, 0.323NS

NS- Non significant                                                                                                                                                        * - Significant p< 0.05

 

Table 5: Frequency and percentage distribution of overall level of knee pain during post- test among experimental and control group

N= 80

Group	Level of knee pain					Unpaired t test, df, p-value
	Frequency (%)
	None	Mild	Moderate	Severe	Extreme
Experimental group (ne =40)	0 (0%)	39 (98%)	1(3%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	19.258, 2, 0.000*
Control group (nc=40)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	35(88%)	5(13%)	0 (0%)

*- Significant p< 0.05

 

Table 5: Depicts that calculated unpaired ‘t’ test value of post-test among experimental and control group (t _(0.05,1) = 19.258, 0.000; p<0.05) was significant at 0.05 level of significant which states that there is a significant difference in the post- test level of knee pain among experimental and control group.

 

Table 7: Depicts that calculated unpaired ‘t’ test value of post-test among experimental and control group (t _(0.05,1) = 16.031,0.000; p<0.05) was significant at 0.05 level of significant which states that there is a significant difference in the post- test level of knee stiffness among experimental and control group.

 

Table 9: Depicts that the calculated unpaired ‘t’ test value of post-test among experimental group and control (t _(0.05,1) = 13.527, 0.000; p<0.05) was significant at 0.05 level of significance which states there is a significant difference in the post- test level of physical functioning among experimental and control group.

 

 

Table 6: Frequency and percentage distribution of aspects of knee pain during post- test among experimental and control group.

                                                                                                                                                                                                   N =80 (n_e = 40, n_c =40)

*- Significant p< 0.05

 

Table 7: Frequency and percentage distribution of overall level of knee stiffness during post-test among experimental and control group.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                              N =80

*- Significant p< 0.05

 

Table 8: Frequency and percentage distribution of aspects of knee stiffness during post-test among experimental and control group.

                                                                                                                                                                                             N = 80 (n_e = 40, n_c =40)

 *- Significant p< 0.05

Table 9: Frequency and percentage distribution of level of physical functioning while doing activity during post-test among experimental and control group                                                                                                                                                                                         N= 80

*- Significant p< 0.05

 

 

Table 10: Frequency and percentage distribution of aspects of physical functioning while doing activity during post- test among experimental and control group.                                                                                                                                             N= 80 (n_e = 40, n_c =40)

Sr. No.	Aspects	Group	Level of physical functioning					ꭓ2, df, p-value
			Frequency (%)
			None	Mildly impaired	Moderately impaired	Severely impaired	Extremely impaired
a.	Descending (going downstairs)	Experimental	1 (3%)	21 (53%)	18 (45%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	45.029, 3 , 0.000*
		Control	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	17 (43%)	23 (58%)	0 (0%)
b.	Ascending (going upstairs)	Experimental	1 (3%)	21 (53%)	18 (45%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	44.000, 3, 0.000*
		Control	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	18 (45%)	22 (55%)	0 (0%)
c.	Rising from sitting	Experimental	8 (20%)	31 (78%)	1 (3%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	29.062, 2, 0.000*
		Control	0 (0%)	19 (48%)	21 (53%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)
d.	Standing	Experimental	15 (38%)	25 (63%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	16.801, 2, 0.000*
		Control	2 (5%)	32 (80%)	6 (15%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)
e.	Bending to floor	Experimental	0 (0%)	31 (78%)	9 (23%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	45.011, 2, 0.000*
		Control	0 (0%)	2 (5%)	29 (73%)	9 (23%)	0 (0%)
f.	Walking on a flat surface	Experimental	25 (63%)	15 (38%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	7.741, 2, 0.021*
		Control	13 (33%)	26 (65%)	1 (3%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)
g.	Getting in/out of car/Autorikshaw	Experimental	18 (45%)	21 (53%)	1 (3%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	30.421, 2, 0.000*
		Control	1 (3%)	21 (53%)	18 (45%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)
h.	Putting on socks/ stocking	Experimental	39 (98%)	1 (3%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	12.468, 1, 0.000*
		Control	27 (68%)	13 (33%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)
i.	Taking off socks/ stocking	Experimental	39 (98%)	1 (3%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	12.468, 1, 0.000*
		Control	27 (68%)	13 (33%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)
j.	Rising from bed	Experimental	4 (10%)	35 (88%)	1 (3%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	9.726, 2, 0.008*
		Control	1 (3%)	29 (73%)	10 (25%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)
k.	Positioning in bed	Experimental	3 (8%)	36 (90%)	1 (3%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	7.945, 2, 0.019*
		Control	1 (3%)	30 (75%)	9 (23%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)
l.	Sitting on chair	Experimental	2 (5%)	38 (95%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	16.862, 2 0.000*
		Control	0 (0%)	27 (68%)	13 (33%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)
m.	While squatting on floor	Experimental	0 (0%)	21 (53%)	18 (45%)	1 (3%)	0 (0%)	26.966, 2, 0.000*
		Control	0 (0%)	3 (8%)	21 (53%)	16 (40%)	0 (0%)
n.	Doing light domestic duties	Experimental	39 (98%)	1 (3%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	6.135, 1, 0.013*
		Control	32 (80%)	8 (20%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)

*- Significant p< 0.05

 

Therefore, H₂ is accepted which states that there is a significant difference between post-test level of knee pain, knee stiffness and physical functioning among senior citizens in experimental and control group.

 

Association between pre-test level of knee pain, knee stiffness and physical functioning with selected socio-demographic variables.

No significant association of knee pain, knee stiffness and physical functioning was found with selected socio-demographic variables among senior citizens such as age (in years), weight (in Kg), height (in cm), Body mass index (Kg/m²), gender, marital status, educational status, monthly family income (in Rupees), dietary habits, duration of knee pain, exercise [ type of exercise/walking, type of muscle activity during exercise, frequency of exercise (in days/week), duration of exercise in a day (in hours/min)] and type of treatment., at p<0.05. Thus hypothesis (H₃) is rejected which states that there is a significant difference between level of knee pain, knee stiffness and physical functioning with selected socio demographic variables in experimental and control group.

 

DISCUSSION:

In present study it was found that in experimental group, the pre- test mean score of knee pain was 8.425 ± 1.152 and after the massage with ginger oil was reduced as 3.425 ± 0.958 among senior citizens. Similar study was conducted by Mageshwari R. 2014 showed that the pre- test mean score of pain was 49.1 ± 19.4 and after the massage with aromatic ginger oil was reduced as 42.1 ± 18.6. The mean reduction 7.0 ± 5.4 was statistically very highly significant (p< 0.001) and it was attributed to the effect of aromatic ginger oil in reduction of knee pain of the elderly.⁸ Similar study was done by Tosun B, Unal N, Yigit D, Can N, Aslan O, Tunay S et al. 2017 showed that at the initial assessment the mean WOMAC Pain subscale score of the intervention group was 4.70 ± 2.05. And after the massage with ginger oil, the mean WOMAC Pain subscale score of the intervention group was significantly lower in the first and fifth week assessment i.e. 3.66 ± 2.05 and 2.82 ± 1.74 respectively.⁹

 

The pre- test mean score of knee stiffness was 4.975 ± 0.832, and after massage with ginger oil was reduced as 2.425 ± 0.675 among senior citizens. Similar study was done by Tosun B, Unal N, Yigit D, Can N, Aslan O, Tunay S et al. 2017 showed that at the initial assessment the mean WOMAC stiffness subscale score was 2.50 ± 2.51 among intervention group. After the massage with ginger oil, the first and fifth week mean WOMAC stiffness score in the intervention group was 2.94 ± 2.64 and 2.61±2.18 respectively which shows that mean WOMAC stiffness scores did not differ significantly by time.⁹ Similar study was conducted by Yip YB, Tam AC. 2010 showed the significant mean changes in knee stiffness level within the intervention group ( p = 0.03) after the massage with ginger oil whereas in placebo and control group there is no significant mean changes in knee stiffness level (p= 0.14) at 4^th week of                assessment. ¹⁰

 

The pre- test mean score of physical functioning was 18.325 ± 2.999 and after massage with ginger oil was reduced as 10.875 ± 2.267 among senior citizens. Similar study was done by Tosun B, Unal N, Yigit D, Can N, Aslan O, Tunay S et al. 2017 showed that at the initial assessment the mean WOMAC function subscale score was 4.92 ± 1.52 among intervention group. After the massage with ginger oil the mean WOMAC function subscale scores of the intervention group significantly lower in the first and fifth week assessments i.e. 4.30 ± 1.81 and 3.54 ± 1.58 respectively.⁹ Similar study was conducted by Yip YB, Tam AC. 2010 showed the significant mean changes in impaired physical functioning within the intervention group ( p = 0.04) after the massage with ginger oil whereas in placebo and control group there is no significant mean changes in impaired physical functioning (p= 0.45) at 4^th week of assessment. This revealed that the improvement of physical function was superior in interventional group after massage with ginger oil as compared to placebo and control group.¹⁰

 

In present study, there is no significant association of level of knee pain, knee stiffness and physical functioning with selected socio-demographic variables among senior citizens in experimental and control group i.e. age (in years), weight (in Kg), height (in cm), Body mass index (Kg/m²), gender, marital status, educational status, monthly family income (in Rupees), dietary habits, duration of knee pain, exercise includes (type of exercise/walking, type of muscle activity during exercise, frequency of exercise, duration of exercise ) and type of treatment. Similar study was conducted by Kaur R, Ghosh A, Singh A. 2018 showed that the knee pain was found to be increased with age and was significantly associated with higher socioeconomic status, menopause, greater BMI and sedentary lifestyle.¹¹ Similar study was conducted by Mageshwari R. 2014 showed that age, gender, exercise, body mass index are significantly associated with the post- test level of knee pain. Apart from this other variables such as religion, diet habit, duration of knee pain, treatment type are not significantly associated.⁸ Similar study was conducted by R Vanaja. 2015 showed that there was no significant association of age, marital status, religion, education, number of children and co- morbid illness with level of knee pain.¹² Study was conducted by Tosun B, Unal N, Yigit D, Can N, Aslan O, Tunay S et al. 2017 was revealed that there was a significant association of gender with knee pain and knee stiffness. Other variables such as marital status, educational status, chronic disease, employment status and smoking showed no significant association with knee pain and stiffness.⁹

 

CONCLUSION:

There was significant reduction in level of knee pain, knee stiffness and impaired physical functioning after the massage with ginger oil for a time period of 10 minutes daily for 7 consecutive days. Hence, it has been concluded that ginger oil is effective for reducing knee pain, knee stiffness and impaired physical functioning.

 

IMPLICATIONS OF THE STUDY:

The findings of the present study have several implications which are discussed in four areas:

 

Nursing Education:

Massage with ginger oil have effects that break the pain cycle, promote functioning, reduce stiffness and maintain general wellness. Therefore, nurses can be trained to teach the patients about massage with ginger oil and its effectiveness which will be beneficial for patients.

 

Nursing Practice:

 Nurses can easily train the patients and caregivers on knee massage with ginger oil. This intervention can be implemented by patients at home without any restriction.

 

Nursing Administration:

The nursing administration can draw written policies regarding the technique of knee massage i.e. rotating, kneading, gliding, tapping movement and duration of intervention i.e. 10 minutes/day to reduce knee pain, knee stiffness and impaired physical functioning.

 

Nursing Research:

Nurse researcher can be conducting the research by comparing massage with ginger oil with other complementary therapies. Also the intervention can be given twice a day and to all types of client with knee pain.

 

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH:

Based on results of the study, following recommendations are made:

·       The similar study can be conducted among other subset of population, or another setting.

·       A longitudinal study can be done using post intervention after one month, 2 months to assess the effectiveness of massage with ginger oil.

·       An experimental study can be conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of ginger oil on other than knee joint pain.

 

ETHICS AND CONSENT:

·       Formal written permission was obtained from the appropriate authorities of selected areas of district Mohali, Punjab to conduct the study.

·       Researcher explained the purpose of the study to the subjects and took written informed consent for their participation in the study.

·       All respondents were assured about their confidentiality and anonymity.

 

CONFLICT OF INTEREST:

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

 

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3.      Morrison William. Tightness in Knee: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatments [Internet]. 2019 March [cited 2020 Feb 27]. Available from: https://www.healthline.com/health/tightness-in-knee

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5.      Martin Irene. Seniors and Knee Pain - How to Care and Cope [Internet]. 2016 Sep [cited 2019 May 11]. Available from: https://www.retireathome.com/care-seniors-knee-pain/

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Received on 22.01.2021         Modified on 13.05.2021

Accepted on 26.07.2021   ©A&V Publications All right reserved