This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of early bed mobility exercises and ambulation in reducing post-operative pain among women who undergo elective cesarean section. A randomized controlled trial will be conducted with 56 participants divided into intervention and control groups. The intervention group will receive physiotherapy exercises such as pelvic rolling, breathing exercises, and ambulation, while the control group will receive routine nursing care. Pain intensity will be assessed using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and Numerical Pain Rating Scale (NPRS). The study is expected to show that early mobilization reduces pain, improves recovery, and enhances overall well-being.

This study is a single-blind randomized controlled trial designed to investigate the effectiveness of early bed mobility exercises and ambulation in reducing post-operative pain among women undergoing elective cesarean section. The study will be conducted at the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Lady Reading Hospital (MTI), Peshawar, over a period of six months.

A total of 56 participants aged 18-40 years who meet the inclusion criteria will be recruited and randomly assigned into two groups using consecutive blocked randomization. The intervention group will receive a structured physiotherapy program including pelvic rolling, leg sliding, deep breathing, chest expansion exercises, ankle pumping, and ambulation starting 5 hours post-surgery. The control group will receive routine nursing care.

Pain intensity will be assessed using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and Numerical Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) before and after the intervention. Data will be analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25, applying paired and independent t-tests to compare within and between group differences.

The study aims to demonstrate that early mobilization significantly reduces post-operative pain, decreases the need for analgesics, shortens hospital stay, and improves functional recovery and overall well-being in post-cesarean women.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Women undergoing elective cesarean section
• Age between 18-40 years
• Medically stable patients
• Patients admitted and staying in hospital for at least 24 hours post-surgery
• Willing to participate and provide informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

• History of previous abdominal surgeries (e.g., hernia, cholecystectomy)
• Presence of comorbidities such as diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, or long-term steroid use
• Patients with severe postpartum complications (e.g., hemorrhage, deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism)
• Patients experiencing severe nausea, dizziness, or vomiting
• Patients unable to follow instructions
• Patients unwilling to participate

De-identified individual participant data (IPD) collected during the study, including pain scores (VAS, NPRS), demographic data, and outcome measures, will be shared with other researchers upon reasonable request for academic and research purposes. All personal identifiers will be removed to ensure participant confidentiality.

Data will be made available within 6 months after publication of the study results and will remain available for up to 5 years.

Access to the data will be granted to qualified researchers upon reasonable request. Requests must include a research proposal and will be reviewed by the principal investigator. Data will be shared after approval and signing of a data-sharing agreement to ensure ethical use and confidentiality.

This study will follow a single-blind design in which the outcome assessor will be blinded to group allocation. Participants and care providers will be aware of the assigned interventions, but the assessor responsible for measuring outcomes (VAS and NPRS) will remain unaware to reduce bias.