The Effectiveness of Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation On The Labour Pain Management

Abstract

Pain in labour is a normal physiological reaction. The experience of pain during labour is a complex and multifaceted individual response to stimuli generated during child birth. In particular, one psychological factor- previous experience of pain- was found to be strongly associated with perceived levels of pain. TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation) was introduced into maternity care in Scandinavia in 1970s. TENS was originally developed as a way of controlling pain through “gate control theory” in 1965.Interest in the use of electricity to relieve pain was reawakened by Melzack and Wall. TENS in labour has become ncreasingly popular as it is simple to use and is non-invasive.