Tens for Pain Relief in Labor |
TENS unit (Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) is used for physical therapy. However, there is a unit specifically for labor and delivery. Janette Janero, Owner with Naked Formula, explains how it works. Dr. Alberto Sirven, Medical Director of the West Kendall OB/GYN Program and Women and Infant Credentials Committee Chairman with West Kendall Baptist Hospital, describes the use of ball in labor.
Transcript
Trane’s machinery we have the prop yep here we go what is that so this is a TENS unit they use it a lot for physical therapy where you place the electrodes in a specific spot and then you give stimulation but this unit is specifically for labor and delivery because it gives you intermittent pulses but then one you get a construction you press the boost button and then it’s a constant you know pulse and it could work one of three ways it could either work because you start using it early labor and it helps your body release those natural endorphins because you’re getting that stimulation they also think it may work because it floods your nervous system so it’s kind of like you’re distracted from you know the pain but it could also be a placebo effect and I think you know if anything that it helped me just push me that boost button is really in control doctor your thoughts on this and that ball I was a little surprised to see you know somebody on a ball when I’m about to give birth the problem with with that particular ball and we use other balls in south and in different hospitals and thro the Baptist system we have is that she is someone that’s used to exercising on a ball she is used to the whole concept of the exercise because there is and she knows quite well there’s a good possibility of you falling down off the ball if you’re not used to it and you know I did switch over to the ones that the hospitals had because once you know the pain started getting more intense the ones in the hospital they did help me feel more more in control because the shape is a little bit different got it so you don’t have to you know work so hard to find your balance and what does the ball work doctor I mean how does it help in terms of that I think that in general she described early in early labor because you have that ball could be use in early labor when your your water hasn’t broke that you don’t have you don’t have to be in bed it helps you I think the exercise and eye strain knew your muscles moving around I think in general it’s a good idea a lot of times I recommend for this to be done at home because in a hospital setting because a liability we tend to monitor patients a lot more if you could have an external monitor but every unit has every one of those external monitors in which you could be out of bed but once you’ve water breaks and then you are pretty much committed to the bed we have what we call beam balls which is something that allows you to separate allows for the baby to drop and as some of the stuff that were using to encourage valium deliver at the Baptist Health System you.