-Using a light-emitting diode (LED) to deliver light energy to the backs of women in labor can safely help reduce pain compared to taking a hot shower. Low-level light therapy, or photobiomodulation, does not affect labor duration or fetal well-being, according to the study published in the peer-reviewed journal Photobiomodulation, Photomedicine, and Laser Surgery. Click here to read the article.
Sandra Kalil Bussadori and coauthors from University Nove de Julho aimed to assess the effect of LED photobiomodulation on analgesia during labor as an alternative non-pharmacological intervention. An LED array was placed on the back of women in the intervention group, in contact with the skin, for 10 minutes during various stages of labor. The control group was offered a hot shower. The researchers assessed the following variables: perception of pain; fetal well-being; Apgar score at 1 and 5 minutes after birth; and labor duration. They observed decreased levels of pain in the LED group compared to the shower group.
"LED can be considered an alternative, since it caused pain reduction without changing other parameters during labor, compared to hot shower, a method included in hospital protocols, proving to be safe," concluded the authors.
"Photobiomodulation could be a non-invasive, non-pharmacological alternative for pain relief during labor. It will be attractive to the growing number of women who are interested in natural childbirth," says Photobiomodulation, Photomedicine, and Laser Surgery Editor-in-Chief Michael R. Hamblin, PhD, Distinguished Visiting Professor, University of Johannesburg.
About the Journal
Photobiomodulation, Photomedicine, and Laser Surgery is an authoritative peer-reviewed journal dedicated to cutting-edge techniques and research in phototherapy, low level laser therapy (LLLT), and laser medicine and surgery. Published monthly, the Journal is under the leadership of Editor-in-Chief Michael R Hamblin, PhD and Co-Editor-in-Chief Heidi Abrahamse, PhD. The Journal covers a range of basic and clinical research and procedures in medicine, surgery, and dentistry, focusing on safety issues, new instrumentation, optical diagnostics, and activities related to the understanding and applications of biophotonics in medicine. Tables of content and a sample issue may be viewed on the Photobiomodulation, Photomedicine, and Laser Surgery website.
About the Publisher
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers is known for establishing authoritative medical and biomedical peer-reviewed journals. Its biotechnology trade magazine, GEN (Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News), was the first in its field and is today the industry's most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm's more than 100 journals, newsmagazines, and books is available on the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers website.
