Effects of biofeedback on childbirth pain.
A study of the effects of biofeedback on the pain of childbirth was conducted. Forty primigravidae were randomly assigned to either an experimental group or a control group. The experimental group was given a series of training sessions in biofeedback and used biofeedback equipment during labor. All subjects were monitored during the labor and delivery period for their reports of pain using a visual analogue scale (VAS) and a verbal descriptor scale (VDS). Results showed that women using biofeedback during childbirth reported significantly lower pain: from admission to labor and delivery (p less than 0.05:VDS; p less than 0.01:VAS), at delivery (p less than 0.005:VDS), and 24-hr postpartum (p less than 0.01:VDS). Also, women in the biofeedback group labored an average of 2 hr less and used 30% fewer medications. The results of this study suggest that EMG biofeedback may be effective in reducing levels of acute pain experienced by childbearing women.
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D000328:Adult; D001676:Biofeedback, Psychology; D004576:Electromyography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007743:Labor, Obstetric / Q000502:physiology*; D010146:Pain / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D059408:Pain Management; D010147:Pain Measurement; D011247:Pregnancy; D011897:Random Allocation