Sterile water injection for labour pain: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials

BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology

Volumn 116, Issue 9, 2009, Pages 1158-1166

  Hutton, E K ^a   Kasperink, M ^b   Rutten, M ^b   Reitsma, A ^a   Wainman, B ^a  

^a MCMASTER UNIVERSITY   (Canada)

^b Midwifery Academy Amsterdam   (Netherlands)

Author keywords

Labour pain; Low back pain; Sterile water injection; Systematic review

Indexed keywords

PLACEBO; SODIUM CHLORIDE; STERILE WATER; UNCLASSIFIED DRUG; WATER;

ACUPUNCTURE; ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE; ARTICLE; CESAREAN SECTION; CLINICAL TRIAL; COMPARATIVE STUDY; CONFIDENCE INTERVAL; HUMAN; LABOR PAIN; LOW BACK PAIN; MANTEL HAENSZEL TEST; META ANALYSIS; OUTCOME ASSESSMENT; PAIN ASSESSMENT; PRIORITY JOURNAL; REGIONAL ANESTHESIA; RISK ASSESSMENT; RISK FACTOR; SYSTEMATIC REVIEW; TRANSCUTANEOUS NERVE STIMULATION; TREATMENT OUTCOME; VALIDATION PROCESS;

CESAREAN SECTION; COMPLEMENTARY THERAPIES; FEMALE; HUMANS; INJECTIONS, SPINAL; LABOR PAIN; LOW BACK PAIN; PAIN MEASUREMENT; PREGNANCY; RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS AS TOPIC; WATER;

EID: 68249161979     PISSN: 14700328     EISSN: 14710528     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1111/j.1471-0528.2009.02221.x     Document Type: Article

References (30)

1. Creehan PA. Pain relief and comfort measures in labor. In : Simpson KR, Creehan PA, editors. AWHONN's Perinatal Nursing, 3rd edn. Philadelphia, PA : Lippincott Williams & Wilkins 2008. pp. 444 72.
2. Cervero F, Tattersall JEH. Somatic and visceral sensory integration in the thoracic spinal cord. In : Cervero F, Morrison JFB, editors. Visceral Sensation. Progress in Brain Research. Amsterdam, the Netherlands : Elsevier 1986. pp. 189 205.
3. Canadian Institute of Health Information. Errata - giving birth in Canada: a regional profile [Online]. 2005 [ http://secure.cihi.ca/cihiweb/en/ downloads/GBC2004-errata-e.pdf ]. Accessed 3 September 2008.
4. Provincial Perinatal Surveillance Committee. 2006 Provincial Perinatal Report. Ottawa, Canada : Provincial Perinatal Surveillance Committee 2006.
5. Anim-Somuah M, Smyth R, Howell C. Epidural versus non-epidural or no analgesia in labour. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2005 : CD000331. DOI :.
6. Eltzschig HK, Lieberman ES, Camann WR. Regional anesthesia and analgesia for labor and delivery. N Engl J Med 2003 348 : 319 32.
7. Simmons SW, Cyna AM, Dennis AT, Hughes D. Combined spinal-epidural versus epidural analgesia in labour. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2007 : CD003401. DOI :.
8. Gomar C, Fernandez C. Epidural analgesia-anaesthesia in obstetrics. Eur J Anaesthesiol 2000 17 : 542 58.
9. Bengtsson J, Woming AM, Gertz J. Urolithiasissmerter behandlet med intrakutane sterilvandspapler (Pain due to urolithiasis treated by intracutaneous injection of sterile water). Ugeskr Laeger 1981 143 : 3463 5.
10. Odent M. La réflexotherapie lombaire. Nouv Presse Mèd 1975 8 : 188.
11. Huntley AL, Coon JT, Ernst E. Complementary and alternative medicine for labor pain: a systematic review. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2004 191 : 36 44. (Pubitemid 39077954)
12. Reynolds JL. Intracutaneous sterile water for back pain in labour. Can Fam Physician 1994 40 : 1785 92.
13. Melzack R, Wall PD. Pain mechanisms: a new theory. Science 1965 150 : 971 9.
14. Mårtensson L, Stener-Victorin E, Wallin G. Acupuncture versus subcutaneous injections of sterile water as treatment for labour pain. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand 2008 87 : 171 7.
15. Jadad AR, Moore RA, Carroll D, Jenkinson C, Reynolds DJ, Gavaghan DJ, et al. Assessing the quality of reports of randomized clinical trial: is blinding necessary? Control Clin Trials 1996 17 : 1 12.
16. Trolle B, Moller M, Kronborg H, Thomsen S. The effect of sterile water blocks on low back labor pain. Am J Obstet Gynecol 1991 164 : 1277 81.
17. Mårtensson L, Wallin G. Labour pain treated with cutaneous injections of sterile water: a randomised controlled trial. Br J Obstet Gynaecol 1999 106 : 633 7.
18. Revman 5 Section 7.7.3.5 Medians and Interquartile ranges. In : Higgens JPT, Green S, editors. Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions Version 5.0.1. [updated September 2008]. The Cochrane Collaboration, 2008. [ http://www.cochrane-handbook.org ]. Accessed 7 May 2009.
19. Ader L, Hansson B, Wallin G. Parturition pain treated by intracutaneous injections of sterile water. Pain 1990 41 : 133 8.
20. Revman 5 Section 99.4.5.2 Meta-analysis of change scores. In : Higgens JPT, Green S, editors. Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions Version 5.0.1. [updated September 2008]. The Cochrane Collaboration, 2008. [ http://www.cochrane-handbook.org ]. Accessed 7 May 2009.
21. Labrecque M, Nouwen A, Gergeron M, Rancourt JF. A randomized controlled trial of nonpharmacologic approaches for relief of low back pain during labor. J Fam Pract 1999 48 : 259 63.
22. Mårtensson L, Nyberg K, Wallin G. Subcutaneous versus intracutaneous injections of sterile water for labour analgesia: a comparison of perceived pain during administration. BJOG 2000 107 : 1248 51.
23. Dahl V, Aarnes T. [Sterile water papulae for analgesia during labor]. [Norwegian]. Tidsskr Nor Laegeforen 1991 111 : 1484 7.
24. Tandberg A. [Intracutaneous injections of sterile water as analgesia during labor]. [Norwegian]. Tidsskr Nor Laegeforen 1990 110 : 2349 50.
25. Lytzen T, Cederberg L, Moller-Nielsen J. Relief of low back pain in labor by using intracutaneous nerve stimulation with sterile water papules. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand 1989 68 : 341 3.
26. Peart K. Managing labour pain safely. Aust J Adv Nurs 2006 25 : 43 8.
27. Mårtensson L, Ader L, Wallin G. [Sterile water papules against labor pain. A simple, safe, effective method]. [Swedish]. Lakartidningen 1995 92 : 2395 6.
28. Wiruchpongsanon P. Relief of low back pain by using intracutaneous injections of sterile water: a randomized clinical trial. J Med Assoc Thai 2006 89 : 571 6.
29. Bahasadri S, Ahmadi-Abhari S, Dehghani-Nik M, Habibi GR. Subcutaneous sterile water injection for labour pain: a randomised controlled trial. Aust NZ J Obstet Gynaecol 2006 46 : 102 6.
30. Kushtagi P, Bhanu BT. Effectiveness of subcutaneous injection of sterile water to the lower back for pain relief in labor. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand 2009 88 : 231 3.