Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) for adjuvant pain‐relief during labor and delivery

Abstract

TENS is an effective non-pharmacological, non-invasive adjuvant pain relief modality for use in labor and delivery. TENS application reduced the duration of the first stage of labor and the amount of analgesic drug administered. There were no adverse effects on mothers or newborns.

Non-Pharmacological Therapies in Pain Management

“…In a study that has been conducted, it has been determined that the placebo group experienced 2-4 times less pain when TENS is used with pharmacological methods in post-operative pain management (Rakel & Frantz 2003), and in another study it has been determined that TENS usage in post-operative pain management has helped reducing the pain level and dosage of using analgesics (Bjordal et al 2003). In addition to that, in some other studies it has been determined that first phase of labor in TENS group has been shorter and TENS treatment has been effective in relieving the pain (Kaplan et al 1998;Simkin and Bolding 2004 (Arslan & Çelebioğlu, 2004). On the other hand, cold treatment consists of applying a cooling material or device on any part of the body.…”

Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation does not augment combined spinal epidural labour analgesia

“…2 0 In a more recent study, when TENS was used alone in nulliparous and multiparous parturients, adjuvant forms of analgesia were requested between 5 and 7 cm cervical dilatation. 9 As the spinal portion of the CSE technique has been demonstrated to last into the second stage of labour in rapidly progressing labours, it may have already eclipsed the duration of a reliable TENS effect.…”

“…7,8 Intrathecal bupivacaine with sufentanil has been noted to be a very effective in terms of duration and limitation of side effects. 6 Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) has been used with some success for labour analgesia 9 and has been noted to modulate nociceptive and deafferentation pain, 1 with its effectiveness dictated, in part, by the frequency of stimulation chosen. 2 Because local anesthetics, specifically bupivacaine, demonstrate a frequency-dependent blockade of nerve action potentials, 3 we speculated that a TENS unit could directly or indirectly increase the quality and duration of the spinal portion of a CSE.…”

Effect of transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation (TENS) on hormones profile in subjects with primary dysmenorrhoea - a preliminary study

“…Another hormone that has been implicated in menstrual disorder is cortisol, synthesized by the adrenal cortex and regulated by adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) which is an anterior pituitary hormone (Ganong, 2001). The concentration of cortisol varies with time of day and with phase of menstruation (Kaplan et al, 1994). According to Orth et al, (1992) and Kaplan et al, (1994), the highest concentrations range from 10 -27ug/dL and are seen in the early morning within the usual time of wakening.…”

“…The concentration of cortisol varies with time of day and with phase of menstruation (Kaplan et al, 1994). According to Orth et al, (1992) and Kaplan et al, (1994), the highest concentrations range from 10 -27ug/dL and are seen in the early morning within the usual time of wakening. Plasma cortisol concentration ranges from 5 -10ug/dL at 4pm and lowest levels, less than 5ug/dL are observed an hour after the usual time of sleep (Ganong, 2001).…”