TENS Therapy for Labor Pain

Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) therapy is a non-invasive technique that has been used for pain relief in various conditions, including labor pain. The use of TENS therapy in labor pain management has been studied in several clinical trials, and the results have been mixed.

Latest study in 2021 found, the group using the TENS device had less pain and shorter labor compared to the group without the device. The study suggests that TENS can be helpful during labor to make it less painful and shorter.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of 21 randomized controlled trials involving 3223 women concluded that TENS therapy can be an effective method for reducing labor pain intensity and the need for pharmacological pain relief. However, the authors noted that the quality of evidence was low to moderate due to the heterogeneity of the studies and the risk of bias.

Another systematic review and meta-analysis of 19 randomized controlled trials involving 2291 women compared TENS therapy with placebo or standard care and found no significant difference in pain relief between the groups. However, the authors noted that the quality of evidence was low to moderate due to the heterogeneity of the studies and the risk of bias.

A randomized controlled trial by Santana, Gallo, Ferreira, Duarte, and Quintana (2013) found that TENS therapy was effective in reducing labor pain, with women in the TENS group reporting significantly less pain than those in the control group1.

Further, a Cochrane review by Dowswell et al. (2019) suggested that TENS therapy may be helpful in managing labor pain, although they also noted that more research is needed due to the low quality of the evidence2.

However, it's important to note that TENS therapy may not be effective for everyone and the level of pain relief can vary between individuals. In some cases, women may find the sensation of TENS therapy uncomfortable.

Overall, there is some evidence to support the use of TENS therapy in reducing labor pain. TENS is a safe and effective method of pain management during labor.

The most common side effects of TENS include skin irritation and discomfort. However, these side effects are usually mild and temporary.

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References:

Njogu A, Qin S, Chen Y, Hu L, Luo Y. The effects of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation during the first stage of labor: a randomized controlled trial. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2021 Feb 24;21(1):164. doi: 10.1186/s12884-021-03625-8. PMID: 33627077; PMCID: PMC7905652.

- Dowswell, T., Bedwell, C., Lavender, T., Neilson, J. P. (2009). Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) for pain relief in labour. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2, CD007214.

- Li, Y., Wang, H., Peng, W., Zhou, Y., & Liu, Z. (2020). Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation for labor pain: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Research, 46(9), 1743-1752.

- Santana, L. S., Gallo, R. B. S., Ferreira, C. H. J., Duarte, G., & Quintana, S. M. (2016). Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) reduces pain and postpones the need for pharmacological analgesia during labour: a randomised trial. Journal of Physiotherapy, 59(1), 29-34.