Seyedeh Soma Zakariaee - Midwifery Lecturer, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Sanandaj, Iran
Soma Bahmani - Midwifery Lecturer, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Sanandaj, Iran

Background: Episiotomy or cutting the perineum is the most common operation in obstetrics. Perineal pain is the main complication of the episiotomy that affects the quality of life and mental health of the mother. The reducing the pain and side effects of the chemical drugs prescribed for pain relief have received interest from both the physicians and scientists. This study was conducted to determine the effect of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) on the pain severity post-episiotomy.Materials and Methods: This randomized clinical trial was performed on ۱۲۰ primiparous women referred to Sanandaj Besat Hospital in ۲۰۱۸. Patients were randomly divided into three groups: intervention (TENS-On), placebo (TENS-Off), and control groups. TENS electrodes were located near the episiotomy site in the genitofemoral and pudendal nerves. The pain was measured in resting, sitting and activity positions. The pain severity was assessed using NRS in four times (before intervention, ۳۰, ۶۰ and ۱۲۰ minutes after intervention). Pearson correlation, student's t-test, Kruskal-Wallis, ANOVA, and Mann-Whitney tests were used for data analyzing.Results: A significant difference was observed in mean pain severity for the intervention group with walking activities (P = ۰.۰۴). In the intergroup evaluation, there was a significant difference in mean pain severity for resting position (P=۰.۰۰۸). For the sitting position, there was no significant difference in mean pain severity between three groups (P = ۰.۰۴).Conclusion: TENS is an effective method for pain relief post-episiotomy and routine use in obstetrics and gynecology ward.

TENS, Episiotomy pain, Postpartum period.