A Cochrane review «Massage, reflexology and other manual methods for pain management in labour»1 «Smith CA, Levett KM, Collins CT et al. Massage, reflexology and other manual methods for pain management in labour. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2018;3():CD009290. »1 included 10 studies with a total of 1055 subjects. Less pain during labour was reported from massage compared with usual care during the first stage of labour (standardised mean difference (SMD) -0.81, 95% CI -1.06 to -0.56; 6 trials, n=362). Other comparisons of massage gave inconclusive results. One trial of massage compared with usual care found reduced anxiety during the first stage of labour (MD -16.27, 95% CI -27.03 to -5.51; n=60).