Labour pain treated with cutaneous injections of sterile water: a randomised controlled trial

Objective To evaluate the relief of pain in labour with subcutaneous and in tracutaneous injections of sterile water, compared with placebo. Design Randomised controlled trial. Setting Labour ward with approximately 3000 deliveries annually in a suburb an area near Gothenburg, Sweden. Participants Ninety-nine pregnant women at term, requiring pain relief for severe lower back pain during the first stage of labour. The women were ran domised to receive four injections of 0.1 mt sterile water (without salt) i ntracutaneously (n = 33), four injections of 0.5 mt sterile water subcutane ously (n = 33) or placebo treatment (n = 33). Main outcome measures Reduction of labour pain measured by visual analogue scale. Results The median visual analogue scale pain score for labour pain was sig nificantly lower compared with initial values in the two study groups and c ompared with placebo at 10 and 45 minutes after treatment. The median reduc tions in visual analogue scores after 10 minutes were 5.0 cm and 4.5 cm in the intracutaneous and subcutaneous injection groups, respectively; women i n the placebo group scored a median reduction of 1.7 cm. After 45 minutes t he median reductions in the visual analogue scores were 4.9 cm and 4.0 cm i n the intracutaneous and subcutaneous injection groups, respectively, compa red with 1.0 cm for women in the placebo group. No significant differences in analgesic effect or pain experienced during administration were found be tween the two study groups. Conclusion The new subcutaneous method of administering sterile water, as w ell as the earlier described intracutaneous injection method, were effectiv e for the relief of pain in labour.