Effect of far-infrared radiation on perineal wound pain and sexual function in primiparous women undergoing an episiotomy

Far-infrared radiation and its therapeutic parameters: A superior alternative for future regenerative medicine?

In future regenerative medicine, far-infrared radiation (FIR) may be an essential component of optical therapy. Many studies have confirmed or validated the efficacy and safety of FIR in various diseases, benefiting from new insights into FIR mechanisms and the excellent performance of many applications. However, the lack of consensus on the biological effects and therapeutic parameters of FIR limits its practical applications in the clinic. In this review, the definition, characteristics, and underlying principles of the FIR are systematically illustrated. We outline the therapeutic parameters of FIR, including the wavelength range, power density, irradiation time, and distance. In addition, the biological effects, potential molecular mechanisms, and preclinical and clinical applications of FIR are discussed. Furthermore, the future development and applications of FIR are described in this review. By applying optimal therapeutic parameters, FIR can influence various cells, animal models, and patients, eliciting diverse underlying mechanisms and offering therapeutic potential for many diseases. FIR could represent a superior alternative with broad prospects for application in future regenerative medicine.

Effects of Far Infrared Radiation and Sitz Bath on Perineal Wound Healing and Pain in Primiparous Women Undergoing an Episiotomy: A Randomized Prospective Parallel Arm Study

Introduction Episiotomy is a common surgical procedure done during childbirth. The study aims to assess the efficacy of far-infrared (FIR) and sitz bath (SB) effects on pain relief and healing of perineal wounds in primiparous women who had undergone an episiotomy. Materials and methods A randomized prospective parallel arm study was conducted among 208 primigravida women who underwent episiotomy in a tertiary hospital in the southern part of India from December 2020 to March 2022. Participants were randomized into the FIR (n-104) and SB therapy groups (n-104) and their efficacy was assessed for pain relief and healing of perineal wounds using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), Redness, Oedema, Ecchymosis, and Discharge, the Approximation Scale (REEDA) and the Modified Oxford Scale (MOS). The variables were compared using an independent two-sample t-test and chi-square test (p ≤ 0.05). Results Pain was evaluated using VAS, and by the sixth week postpartum, 90.4% (94) of the FIR group reported mild to no pain compared to 88.5% (92) of the SB group. Wound integrity assessment using the REEDA scale showed better results among the FIR group (94, 90.4%) than the SB group (93, 89.4%) on the second day postpartum. Perineal muscle tone, measured by the MOS, was slightly better in the FIR group (59, 62.8%) than the SB group (55, 59.8%) at the sixth week postpartum, although these differences were not statistically significant. Conclusion FIR therapy reduces postpartum discomfort, promotes wound healing, and improves perineal muscle tone better than SB therapy. FIR also enhanced patient compliance and efficacy.

Development of aids to relieve vulvodynia during the postpartum period

Postpartum women live with a low quality of life due to pain caused by episiotomy and perineal laceration. In particular, they endure pain when sitting for long periods of time to breastfeed. The purpose of this study is to develop a sitting aid to alleviate postpartum vulvodynia. This study was conducted in the following four phases from July 2017 to May 2019. They are: material selection and molding, cleaning and disinfection testing, pressure distribution measurement testing, and trial testing by postpartum women. The main material was a 100% polypropylene object with a three-dimensional reticular fiber spring structure and fiber density of 3.8 kg/m2. As a result, a sitting aid that withstands washing and disinfection well in the medical field and is breathable. It had moderate resilience and elasticity and reduced pressure on the seating surface for women weighing approximately 45 kg and 55 kg, but we were skeptical about its use for women weighing more than that. The completed sitting aid is noninvasively effective in improving the quality of life of many postpartum women, but the density and thickness of the main material should be reexamined to meet the needs of women in a wider weight range. In addition, a self-administered questionnaire survey of trial users revealed that some women did not experience relief from vulvodynia even after using the sitting aid. Such women also had physical problems such as discomfort in the lower back, difficulty breastfeeding, and difficulty standing up. For women with multiple physical problems, individual causes should be addressed.

Effect of Dry Heat Application on Perineal Pain and Episiotomy Wound Healing among Primipara Women

Background

Women who undergo perineal episiotomy can be affected by several complications such as bleeding, infection, perineal pain, dyspareunia, reduction of sexual desire, as well as urinary and anal incontinence. Perineal pain related to episiotomy has been reported to interfere with women's daily activities postpartum and can prevent proper breastfeeding, proper rooming-in, and maternal-infant bonding. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of dry heat application on perineal pain and episiotomy wound Healing among primipara women.

Method

A quasi-experimental, two-group, pre-post-test research study was conducted at the postnatal inpatient ward and the outpatient clinic of the El-Shatby Maternity University Hospital in Alexandria. A sample of 100 parturient women was divided into the following two groups at random: dry heat and moist (control) heat. Women in the moist heat group were advised to sit in a basin (tub) of warm water for 10 minutes, while those in the dry heat group were instructed to set an infrared light (230 volts) at a distance of 45 cm from the perineum after 12 hours post episiotomy. Both interventions were applied twice a day for ten consecutive days. They evaluated the severity of their perineal pain at baseline and repeated it on the 5^th and 10^th days after obtaining the interventions while the episiotomy wound healing was assessed on the 5^th and 10^th days.

Results

It was discovered that the dry heat group had a significantly improved episiotomy wound healing as regards perineal redness, edema of the perineal area, ecchymosis, wound discharge, and approximation of wound edges on the 5th (P < 0.001, P < 0.001, P < 0.007, P < 0.003, and P < 0.001, respectively) and 10th day after intervention (P < 0.001, P < 0.001, P < 0.001, P < 0.005, and P < 0.001, respectively) than the moist heat group. The primipara women had significantly lower perineal pain intensity in the dry heat group on the 5th and 10th days after intervention than in the moist heat group (^MH P < 0.001 for the dry heat group and ^MH P = 0.004 for the moist heat group).

Conclusion

The application of dry heat promoted episiotomy wound healing among primipara women and reduced their perineal pain during early postpartum days than moist heat.

Care for perineal tears in vaginal delivery: An update for midwife

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study will be to review several studies regarding the repair or treatment of perineal tears after vaginal delivery. This is expected to be an update for a midwife in daily caring.

METHODS

Two electronic databases (PubMed and Sciencedirect) were searched to locate relevant literature about perineal tears/wound/laceration/trauma that is published in 2016-2021. 124 Pubmed articles and 452 ScienceDirect articles filtered successfully. The articles that have been obtained will be evaluated based on the inclusion criteria in this study. We summarize place and date, objective, design, samples, the measurement used, and research results.

RESULTS

9 articles were found that matched the inclusion criteria. Three articles examined the effect of the type of suture on perineal pain, and another 6 discussed therapy to reduce the adverse effects of perineal tears. The therapies used are far-infrared radiation therapy, capacitive-resistive radiofrequency therapy, pelvic floor muscle training in early postpartum, cold therapy, and treatment with TheresienOl (natural oil).

CONCLUSION

Sutures and technique/suturing second-degree perineal tears or a postpartum episiotomy can affect perineal pain. Cold gel pad therapy and treatment with natural oil on perineal wounds can affect perineal pain and wound healing.

Pelvic-Floor Dysfunction Prevention in Prepartum and Postpartum Periods

Every woman needs to know about the importance of the function of pelvic-floor muscles and pelvic organ prolapse prevention, especially pregnant women because parity and labor are the factors which have the biggest influence on having pelvic organ prolapse in the future. In this article, we searched for methods of training and rehabilitation in prepartum and postpartum periods and their effectiveness. The search for publications in English was made in two databases during the period from August 2020 to October 2020 in Cochrane Library and PubMed. 77 articles were left in total after selection-9 systematic reviews and 68 clinical trials. Existing full-text papers were reviewed after this selection. Unfinished randomized clinical trials, those which were designed as strategies for national health systems, and those which were not pelvic-floor muscle-training-specified were excluded after this step. Most trials were high to moderate overall risk of bias. Many of reviews had low quality of evidence. Despite clinical heterogeneity among the clinical trials, pelvic-floor muscle training shows promising results. Most of the studies demonstrate the positive effect of pelvic-floor muscle training in prepartum and postpartum periods on pelvic-floor dysfunction prevention, in particular in urinary incontinence symptoms. However more high-quality, standardized, long-follow-up-period studies are needed.