title: Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) for pain control after vaginal delivery and cesarean section.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The present study aims to determine the efficiency and reliability of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) in the management of pain related with uterine contractions after vaginal delivery and the pain related with both abdominal incision uterine contractions after cesarean section.
  
  
  METHODS
  A hundred healthy women who underwent cesarean section under general anesthesia were randomly assigned to the placebo group (Group 1) or the TENS group (Group 2), while 100 women who delivered by vaginal route without episiotomy were randomized into the placebo group (Group 3) or the TENS group (Group 4).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The patients in Group 2 had statistically lower visual analog scale (VAS) and verbal numerical scale (VNS) scores than the patients in Group 1 (p < 0.001 for both). The patients in Group 4 had statistically lower VAS and VNS scores than the patients in Group 3 (p = 0.022 and p = 0.005, respectively). The analgesic requirement at the eighth hour of cesarean section was significantly lower in the patients who were treated with TENS (p = 0.006). The need for analgesics at the eighth hour of vaginal delivery was statistically similar in the patients who were treated with TENS and the patients who received placebo (p = 0.830).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  TENS is an effective, reliable, practical and easily available modality of treatment for postpartum pain.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and.
authors.forename: Seda
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kayman-Kose
authors.forename: Dagistan Tolga
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Arioz
authors.forename: Hasan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Toktas
authors.forename: Gulengul
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Koken
authors.forename: Mine
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kanat-Pektas
authors.forename: Mesut
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kose
authors.forename: Mehmet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yilmazer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002585:Cesarean Section / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011446:Prospective Studies; D004561:Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Cesarean section; pain; transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation; vaginal delivery