Effectiveness of physiotherapy guided mobilisation on mobility and pain post cesearian section at kiboga hospital. A pre-post intervention study

Authors

  • Solomon Kevin Buwembo Department of Physiotherapy Ernest Cook University, Kampala Uganda Author
  • Donnah Driciru Department of Physiotherapy Ernest Cook University, Kampala Uganda Author
  • Richard Malumba Department of Research Ernest Cook University, Kampala Uganda Author
  • Victoria Nakalanzi Department of Research Ernest Cook University, Kampala Uganda Author
  • Alen Musisi Department of Research Ernest Cook University, Kampala Uganda Author
  • Rosta Asiimwe Department of Nutrition Ernest Cook University, Kampala Uganda Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.51168/zv2dkt69

Keywords:

Physiotherapy, Mobility, Pain reduction, Cesarian section, Uganda

Abstract

Background:

Caesarean section (C-section) delivery is associated with postoperative pain and mobility limitations, which can hinder maternal recovery and prolong hospital stays. Physiotherapy-guided mobilization has been shown to facilitate early recovery, reduce pain, and enhance functional independence. However, limited data exist on its effectiveness in resource-limited settings such as Uganda.

 

Objective:

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of physiotherapy-guided mobilization in improving mobility and reducing pain among post-caesarean section mothers at Kiboga Hospital

 

Methods:

A pre-post-test study design was conducted among mothers who underwent caesarean delivery at Kiboga Hospital. A total of 60 participants were recruited using purposive sampling. Baseline assessments included pain levels (measured using the Visual Analog Scale) and mobility levels (measured using the Timed Up and Go test). The physiotherapy interventions included structured mobilization exercises tailored to individual needs, implemented within the first 24 hours postoperatively and continued for 7 days. Post-intervention assessments were conducted to evaluate changes in pain and mobility scores. Data was analyzed using paired t-tests to assess the effectiveness of the intervention.

 

Results:

A total of 60 mothers were assessed in the study. Almost half (45%) of the mothers were aged 18- 25 years, and only 3.33% were above 45 years. This study shows that the average pain score on the visual analogue (VAS) scale among pregnant mothers significantly decreased from 8.2 to 3.6. Additionally, there was a significant (p-value <0.05) reduction in the average time taken by mothers to move from 

 

Conclusion:

The study revealed that physiotherapy-guided mobilization is an effective intervention for enhancing mobility and reducing pain in post-cesarean mothers at Kiboga Hospital. Hospitals should institutionalize routine physiotherapy-led early mobilization programs for all post-cesarean patients to enhance maternal recovery outcomes and overall quality of postnatal care.

Author Biographies

  • Solomon Kevin Buwembo, Department of Physiotherapy Ernest Cook University, Kampala Uganda

    is a qualified physiotherapist and researcher working at Kiboga General Hospital. He holds a Diploma in Physiotherapy from the Uganda Institute of Allied Health and Management Sciences and a Bachelor’s Degree in Physiotherapy from Ernest Cook University. He has experience in managing musculoskeletal, neurological, cardiopulmonary, and post-operative conditions, with research interests in physiotherapy-guided rehabilitation, pain management, women’s health, and early mobilization, particularly post-caesarean recovery.

     

  • Donnah Driciru, Department of Physiotherapy Ernest Cook University, Kampala Uganda

    is a qualified physiotherapist and researcher working at The Gem Foundation. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Physiotherapy from Ernest Cook University. She has clinical experience in managing musculoskeletal, neurological, cardiopulmonary, and post-operative conditions, and has been involved in research on cerebral palsy and post-cesarean physiotherapy interventions. She is committed to advancing physiotherapy practice through research, continuous professional development, and interdisciplinary collaboration to improve patient care and quality of life.

  • Richard Malumba, Department of Research Ernest Cook University, Kampala Uganda

    is an epidemiologist working at the intersection of healthcare service delivery, access to care, and population health research. He holds a Master’s degree in Health Services Research from Makerere University. 

  • Victoria Nakalanzi, Department of Research Ernest Cook University, Kampala Uganda

    is a biostatistician, researcher, and lecturer with expertise in epidemiology, quantitative research methods, and health data analysis. She currently serves as a Research and Grants Officer at Ernest Cook University and also lectures part-time in Biostatistics and Epidemiology. She holds a Master of Biostatistics from Makerere University and a Bachelor of Science in Statistics from Kyambogo University. Her professional experience includes research coordination, grant writing, statistical analysis, academic supervision, and field research management. Her research interests focus on public health, prostate cancer research, maternal care research, and the application of machine learning and spatial analysis in healthcare research. She has contributed to several academic and community-based research projects aimed at strengthening evidence-based healthcare and improving public health outcomes in Uganda. Victoria is passionate about research capacity building, data-driven decision-making, and mentoring students in quantitative research and biostatistics. 

  • Alen Musisi, Department of Research Ernest Cook University, Kampala Uganda

    is a lecturer and clinical medical physicist at the Ernest Cook University in Mengo, Kampala, Uganda (Department of Applied Sciences). He holds an MSc in Medical Physics, and his areas of expertise include dosimetry, quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) of diagnostic imaging equipment, radiation protection, treatment planning, and optimizing medical imaging in resource-limited settings.

  • Rosta Asiimwe, Department of Nutrition Ernest Cook University, Kampala Uganda

    is a Public Health Nutritionist serving as the Head of the Nutrition Department at Ernest Cook University, where she provides academic and technical leadership in nutrition training and programme development. Her work focuses on advancing maternal and child nutrition, the management of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), improving infant and young child feeding practices, nutrition informatics, and promoting evidence-based community nutrition interventions aimed at strengthening population health outcomes in Uganda

References

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Published

2026-07-08

Issue

Vol. 2 No. 6 (2026): June 2026 issue

Section

Section of peer-reviewed articles

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Solomon Kevin Buwembo, Donnah Driciru, Richard Malumba, Victoria Nakalanzi, Alen Musisi, Rosta Asiimwe (Author)

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

Buwembo, S. K., Driciru, D., Malumba, R., Nakalanzi, V., Musisi, A., & Asiimwe, R. (2026). Effectiveness of physiotherapy guided mobilisation on mobility and pain post cesearian section at kiboga hospital. A pre-post intervention study. Journal of Imaging Science for Diagnosis, 2(6), 10. https://doi.org/10.51168/zv2dkt69

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