Rocking Chair Therapy

Scottsdale – With abdominal surgery some patients develop an ileus, a condition wherein the intestinal tract is transiently impaired and fails to transport contents forward. The low motility of the intestinal tract is due to muscles in the bowel that lack a coordinated propulsive action. We see symptoms such as bloating, gas pains, pressure and constipation in our plastic surgery patients. It now appears that rocking chairs may help to achieve a faster restoration of bowel function. In a recent study, use of a rocking chair shortened the time until passage of first gas following abdominal surgery.

Time to first flatus – or passing gas – the marker for relief of loss of intestinal motility, was 3.16 days in those using the rocking chair compared with 3.88 days in patients who sat in non-rocking chairs, a statistically significant finding (P=0.001). Patients who used rocking chairs after surgery passed gas an average of 16.8 hours sooner than non-rocking patients. These findings were published in the journal Applied Nursing Research.

“Patients often describe the period immediately after surgery, prior to the resolution of postoperative ileus, as the most uncomfortable part of their post abdominal surgery recovery experience,” said Robert L. Massey, RN, PhD, of the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

My Take on this Study

The Rocking Chair and Plastic Surgery

I was impressed by this study with its simplicity in design and scope. I agree with the author, this study contributes evidence supporting the use of rocking chair motion to lessen the duration of ileus after abdominal surgery.

The study did not include any plastic surgery patients. We must remember this study is about abdominal surgery. This is far more aggressive surgery than most plastic surgery operations we perform. However, we see ileus-like symptoms quite often, although to a lesser degree.

While in this article, the author outlines important limitations of the study and recommends caution before employing rocking chairs universally, I feel that when a patient has a rocking chair available, they should use it in the early postoperative period. In other words, notwithstanding motion sickness, I cannot see any other reason to avoid using a rocking chair after plastic surgery, if it is already available.

Endorsing Rocking Chair Therapy after Cosmetic Surgery

Rocking chair therapy, along with walking, good hydration, and possibly a stool softener should help to resolve bloating, gas pains, and constipation which is often seen after cosmetic surgery. Rocking chair therapy is another simple tool we can use to improve the patient’s experience after facial plastic surgery and body contouring surgery.