Influence of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation on pain intensity and functional activities following lower segment cesarean section

Background: Postoperative incisional pain following lower segment cesarean section (LSCS) is one of the commonly reported complaints which may affect mother-infant bonding, and restrict mobility and functional activities. Purpose: To study the influence of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) on pain intensity and functional activities using the Numerical Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) and the Patient Specific Functional Scale (PSFS) following LSCS from the postoperative day (POD) 1 to POD 4. Methods: This quasi-experimental study consisted of 50 postpartum women who underwent LSCS and were assigned to an intervention group (IG) that received TENS and a control group (CG) that received routine hospital care. Results: NPRS scores between CG and IG (pre-TENS application) showed a statistically significant difference (ηp2 = 0.542, p < .001) from POD 1 to POD 4. Study participants showed an improvement in PSFS scores (ηp2 = 0.412, 0.488, 0.661, 0.304, 0.262, and 0.395, p < .001) in IG compared to CG for bed transitions, bed transfers, sitting, sit to stand, walking, and toileting activities respectively from POD 1 to POD 4 which was statistically significant. Conclusions: Our study results suggest that administration of TENS following LSCS shows an improvement in pain intensity and functional activities as reported on NPRS and PSFS respectively.