The use of transcutaneous nerve stimulation for pain relief during labor. A controlled clinical study

Seventy parturient women were randomized into two groups, one receiving transcutaneous nerve stimulation, the other mock stimulation with an identical looking apparatus. The patients' assessment of pain relief and the use of analgesics during labor were recorded. There was no difference between the two groups in the degree of pain relief. There was no reduction in the need for analgesics which could be ascribed to the use of nerve stimulation. The use of analgesics in each patient was correlated to the duration of labor.