scholarly journals A Randomized Controlled Trial of Auricular Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation for Managing Posthysterectomy Pain

2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hin Cheung Tsang ◽  
Chi Shan Lam ◽  
Ping Wing Chu ◽  
Jacqueline Yap ◽  
Tak Yuen Fung ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Randomized Controlled Trial ◽  
Nerve Stimulation ◽  
Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Total Abdominal Hysterectomy ◽  
Abdominal Hysterectomy ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Electrical Nerve Stimulation ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Vas Scores

Background. A patient- and assessor-blinded randomized controlled trial was conducted to examine the effectiveness of auricular transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) in relieving posthysterectomy pain.Method. Forty-eight women who had undergone a total abdominal hysterectomy were randomly assigned into three groups (n=16each) to receive either (i) auricular TENS to therapeutic points (the true TENS group), (ii) auricular TENS to inappropriate points (the sham TENS group), or (iii) 20 minutes of bed rest with no stimulation (the control group). The intervention was delivered about 24 hours after the operation. A visual analogue scale was used to assess pain while resting (VAS-rest) and upon huffing (VAS-huff) and coughing (VAS-cough), and the peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) was assessed before and at 0, 15, and 30 minutes after the intervention.Result. As compared to the baseline, only the true TENS group reported a significant reduction in VAS-rest (P=.001), VAS-huff (P=.004), and VAS-cough (P=.001), while no significant reduction in any of the VAS scores was seen in the sham TENS group (allP>.05). In contrast, a small rising trend was observed in the VAS-rest and VAS-huff scores of the control group, while the VAS-cough score remained largely unchanged during the period of the study. A between-group comparison revealed that all three VAS scores of the true TENS group were significantly lower than those of the control group at 15 and 30 minutes after the intervention (allP<.02). No significant between-group difference was observed in PEFR at any point in time.Conclusion. A single session of auricular TENS applied at specific therapeutic points significantly reduced resting (VAS-rest) and movement-evoked pain (VAS-huff, VAS-cough), and the effects lasted for at least 30 minutes after the stimulation. The analgesic effects of auricular TENS appeared to be point specific and could not be attributed to the placebo effect alone. However, auricular TENS did not produce any significant improvement in the performance of PEFR.

scholarly journals The effects of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation during the first stage of labor: a randomized controlled trial

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Njogu ◽  
Si Qin ◽  
Yujie Chen ◽  
Lizhen Hu ◽  
Yang Luo
Keyword(s):  
Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Labor Pain ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Electrical Nerve Stimulation ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Active Labor ◽  
Vas Scores ◽  
Experimental Group ◽  
First Stage Of Labor

Abstract Background Labor pain during childbirth can have devastating effects on the progress of labor, mother, and fetus. Consequently, the management of labor pain is crucial for the well-being of the mother and fetus. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) is a non -pharmacological analgesic technique. It uses a low-voltage electrical current to activate descending inhibitory systems in the central nervous system to relieve pain. This study aimed to determine the effects of TENS therapy in the first stage of labor. Methods In this single-blind randomized controlled trial, we screened low-risk pregnant women who anticipated spontaneous vaginal delivery. Women were assigned (1:1) to either the experimental group (received TENS therapy in the first stage of labor) or the control group (received routine obstetric care). The women, midwives, and researchers working in the gynecology and obstetric department were aware of the treatment group, but statisticians analysis the data were blinded. The primary outcome was labor pain intensity, assessed by visual analog scale (VAS) immediately after the randomization, at 30, 60, and 120 min after TENS therapy, and 2–24 h post-delivery. We used SPSS 21.0 software in data analysis. An independent sample t-test compared the mean VAS scores and labor duration between groups. A Chi-square test was employed to compare categorical variables between the groups. A significant level of ≤0.05 was statistically significant. Results A total of 326 pregnant women were eligible: experimental group (n = 161) and control group (n = 165). The experimental group had statistically significantly lower mean VAS scores at a different time (30, 60, and 120 min post-intervention and 2–24 h post-delivery) than the control group (p < 0.001). The experimental group demonstrated a statistically significant shorter duration of the active labor phase than the control group (p < 0.001). Conclusion This study indicates that TENS can be used as a non-pharmacological therapy to reduce pain and shorten the active labor phase. Trial registration ISRCTN registry, ISRCTN23857995. Registered on 11/12/2020, ‘retrospectively registered.

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