TENS machine vs other pain relief options for labour
A lot of women that come to my classes consider doing hypno- birthing, pregnancy yoga, regular antenatal classes, free classes, paid for classes, online classes face to face classes but what they find when attending Julie Keys Bumps weekly Antenatal class is the fact that my classes contain elements of all three of these major pregnancy disciplines.
One of the most fascinating facts comes up time and time again which is what about a tens machine for use during labour. Now for those that know me I never rule anything out, so whatever you need to get by but please consider this before you find the option that is best for you! As a sports and remedial massage therapist I was taught by the Western School of Massage about “Pain Gate Theory”.
Let me explain a little bit more, pain is a complex and personal sensation which is influenced by many factors.
The lovely people at @physio pedia describe it this way “The Gate Control Theory of Pain is a mechanism, in the spinal cord, in which pain signals can be sent up to the brain to be processed to accentuate the possible perceived pain, or attenuate it at the spinal cord itself.
The 'gate' is the mechanism where pain signals can be let through or restricted. One of two things can happen, the gate can be 'open' or the gate can be 'closed':
If the gate is open, pain signals can pass through and will be sent to the brain to perceive the pain.
If the gate is closed, pain signals will be restricted from travelling up to the brain, and the sensation of pain won't be perceived.
If someone experiences a painful (noxious) stimulus, the application of a non-noxious (soothing or light rubbing) stimulus can help activate the gate control mechanism, and reduce the pain.” (ref .”
So technically if you are experiencing the pressure and intensity of contractions then a tens machine or some other stimulus can help reduce the pain. I have seen many ladies over the years ask “what about using a comb in the palm of your hand and when you have a contraction close your hand to apply pressure of the teeth to your hand?” which is a fantastic and easy solution and fairly cheap too.
Many of us have combs kicking about the house. But what kind of comb so I need, does it matter which one I use? There are “special” combs online that have a lovely ergonomic design that are priced around the £20 region but essentially you could easily just use a £1 comb out of Primark or something you already have at home as it’s the pressure of the comb against the palm of your hand rather than the implement you are using!
Logically if you think about it when you bump your shin you give it a rub to help ease the pain and this is the same principal!
Some couples use massage in labour which can be just as effective. I had 5 lovely couples at my Bumps Antenatal couples workshop this weekend and they enjoyed learning various massage techniques to help with contractions during labour, which was also very helpful for easy pregnancy lower back pain and other aches they had.
So as you can see, it doesn’t have to be an expensive addition to your labour, you could invest in a TENS machine or you could use a comb from home or just a wee bit of massage to help ease those contractions. Or you could book into one of my classes or workshops to find out more! Click on https://www.juliekeysbumpbirthandbaby.com/ourclasses to find out more...