AGO-RE

Date: 1999
Auteurs: Bouschbacher JM
Titre: Place of acupuncture in the treatment of delivery pain. Ann Med Nan Lor, 1999, 38,75-78
Mots clés: Acupuncture, pain, labour, reflexotherapy, analgesia, epidural, TENS, douleurs, réflexothérapie, analgésie, péridurale, travail
Contribution: article
Abstract: Currently, epidural analgesia is used in more than 80% of parturients at the Sainte-Croix maternity hospital. This article discusses the place of acupuncture in the management of parturition pain. Studies on lumbal reflexotherapy and sacral reflexotherapy have demonstrated a 60 to 70% efficiency on back pain. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS)uses territories similar to by acupuncture points. TENS is an efficient therapeutic means for the control of labour pain, mainly back pain. The other acupuncture popints are less efficient. TENS of aurular points has a very satisfactory efficiency (100% for back pain and 70 % of excelent or satisfactory analgesia). Finally, even if acupuncture is less efficient than epidural analgesia, it compares favourably with the latter as far as cost, adverse effects, contra-indications and feasibility are concerned. Therefore acupuncture remains alternative for epidural analgesia