None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
Perineal tears or cuts are common with childbirth and are often painful. Women are often advised to use ice packs to help relieve the pain, although there is very little evidence that this is effective. This trial will compare pain relief using two regimes of applying ice to the perineum. One group of women will have an ice pack applied to the perineum after giving birth, then replace it occasionally. The other group will have ice packs held firmly in place and be advised to rest and elevate the region. The results will enable a more evidence-based approach to care than is currently available.
Interventions
Systematic use of Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation (R.I.C.E.). This involves resting horizantally at times, instead of sitting up all the time; applying ice to the perineum for 20 minutes every 2-3 hours for 2-3 days; and wearing well fitting clothes (underwear).
Sponsors
Royal Women's Hospital
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Treatment
Masking
Open (masking not used)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
-2147483648 No limit to -2147483648 No limit
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
Women having a vaginal birth who are willing and able to give informed consent and sustained perineal trauma (episiotomy / tear) or labial tears during childbirth
Exclusion criteria
Contraindications to cooling treatments (eg peripheral neuropathy); Third or fourth degree perineal tear.
Outcome results
None listed