Research recently published in The Lancet Journal EClinical Medicine has revealed that injections of sterile water may offer effective pain relief for women who are experiencing lower back pain in labour and childbirth.
The research, which is the result of a collaboration between Oxford University, Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) NHS Foundation Trust and Queensland University in Australia, goes some way to offering reassurance to those who have previously doubted the safety and efficacy of sterile water injections. This includes the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE), which has previously advised against the use of the technique.
Several countries already use sterile water injections for lower back pain relief during labour. And, they may soon be joined by others as the researchers behind the latest study described their work as “robust” and claimed it provides overwhelming evidence. Their assertions are certainly helped by the fact that the study meets the gold standard for scientific research: “a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial”.
The technique itself is simple, affordable, accessible and available to clinicians without extensive training and this makes it a persuasive pain-relief option for women in a variety of childbirth and obstetric settings around the globe.
The trial took place between 2012 and 2017, and examined the experiences of 1,000 women at Australian maternity units. All reported experiencing severe back pain and all were given either a sterile water injection or a placebo of saline solution.
Those who received the sterile water injections were twice as likely to report a significant reduction in pain lasting for at least 90 minutes. There was no effect observed on birth outcomes for any of the women involved.
For more information about pain relief in labour, click here.