It turns out that just one teaspoon of ordinary water can relieve a woman’s suffering. And this is how it works.
Severe back pain during childbirth affects about a third of women. And all due to the fact that the baby’s head stretches the tissues and nerves in the pelvis as it moves through the birth canal. The nerves in the lower back are close to the surface of the skin, which is what causes this pain.
For some women, the pain is so intense that they opt for powerful pain relief, such as an epidural, where a thin tube is inserted into the spine and a local anesthetic is gradually injected through it. But epidural anesthesia should be carried out by anesthesiologists: there is a risk of nerve damage, for a while you can lose control of the bladder, it happens that the pressure drops sharply. It happens that the consequences of epidural anesthesia make themselves felt after childbirth. According to British doctors, one in 50 thousand mothers loses sensitivity in one or both legs.
However, doctors have found an absolutely harmless remedy that helps relieve pain during childbirth. This method has been used for a long time in Sweden, Canada and Australia, and recently began to be used in some maternity hospitals in England.
It is suggested to relieve the suffering of women in labor with the help of injections … of water. A recent large study from the University of Oxford and the University of Queensland in Australia found that water injections significantly reduce back pain and, most importantly, do not harm mother and baby, according to the medical journal. .
A teaspoon of water is injected directly under the skin at four points around the lower spine. Water causes a slight burning sensation at the injection sites and irritates the same nerves that cause back pain. This distracts the attention of the nerves from back pain, and they send signals to the brain about a slight tingling sensation caused by water.
Although the burning sensation lasts only half a minute, pain signals can be blocked for up to three hours.
Of course, not all water is injectable. In a five-year study, researchers compared the results of 580 women who received sterile water injections with another group of mothers who were injected with saline.
It turned out that fresh sterile water lasts longer. The fact is that saline contains the same ratio of salt to water as the fluids inside most cells of the body. Therefore, when saline gets under the skin, it is quickly absorbed, and the effect lasts for several minutes.
Sterile water stays under the skin longer. Therefore, the analgesic effect can last for a long time.
According to the study, most women who gave birth reported at least 30-50% pain relief for up to 90 minutes.
Another argument in favor of such pain relief: sterile water is very inexpensive, and a simple midwife can also give injections. However, while many doctors still consider this method stupid, scientists hope that the results of the research will convince the workers of maternity hospitals.
“Water injections do not affect labor outcomes, although they may be effective in relieving labor-related back pain,” the study authors emphasize.