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Sterile Water Injections for Low Back Pain in Labor

© Maurenne Griese

Midwives and others who prefer a more natural approach to childbirth have used a variety of methods to reduce labor pain. However, low back pain in labor (back labor) tends to be a particularly difficult type of pain both to endure and to alleviate.

The use of position changes, counter pressure to the back, hydrotherapy (either shower or immersion), acupressure, acupuncture, TENS, and massage have been shown to be helpful in reducing back pain. But none of these tend to completely relieve the unrelenting pain of back labor.

Sterile water injected just under the skin of the back can lead to significant relief of pain associated with "back labor". The technique is easy to do and almost completely risk free. Only water is injected, so it is suitable for those trying to avoid medications for pain relief during labor. In addition, it is appropriate for patients that might not qualify for an epidural due to their medical status. Perhaps most importantly, it can be dramatically effective even when other techniques of pain relief seem to fail.

I recently attended a Nurse Midwifery conference in Kansas City where a CNM colleague recommended use of sacral sterile water papules (SWP). This procedure involves injecting 0.1 to 0.15 ml of sterile water intradermally in the 4 marked places on top of the laboring woman's tailbone.

Hot Links on Sterile Water Injections for back labor

Jude Kurokawa, a certified nurse midwife (CNM) has published a research article on the use of sterile water papules. Jude also has many articles and topics relating to midwifery and birth on her website.

Paul Ting, Anesthesiology Guide at About.com has written an article about using sterile water injection for back pain. Check out his 1998 article Pain Relief for Back Labor. Paul also offers a number of articles on the different types of analgesia and anesthesia used during labor.