Pharmacological and non-pharmacological methods of pain control in women undergoing caesarean section: a narrative review

Nowadays, cesarean section is one of the common obstetric surgeries and one of the most common surgeries in women. Many pharmacological and non-pharmacological methods are used in cesarean surgery to control pain. This review study was performed aimed to review the pharmacological and non-pharmacological methods of pain control in women undergoing cesarean surgery.

In this narrative review study, to find the relevant studies, Persian language databases of "SID, Magiran" and "Google Scholar" was searched with the Persian key words of pharmaceutical, non-pharmacological methods, pain control, pain and cesarean section.

In this study, 74 articles in two categories of pharmacological and non-pharmacological methods were examined. Drugs which were studied in pharmaceutical methods include: opiates, non-steroidal anti-inflammatories, local anesthetics, regulators of sleep and wake cycles, intravenous sedatives, benzodiazepines, antifibrinolytics, NMDA antagonists and antidopaminergic. Non-pharmacological methods include: aromatherapy, music therapy, sports exercises, foot reflexology, auriculotherapy, massage, touch therapy, keeping the peritoneum open, kangaroo contact, Benson relaxation and electrical stimulation of the nerve through the skin (TENS).

The present study conducted a general review to collect all the pharmacological and non-pharmacological methods of controlling pain after cesarean section which has been reported in most of the reviewed studies to be effective for pain control; however, it is not possible to determine possible risks or to rank the interventions, and more studies are needed. But the attending physician can choose among the methods based on the condition of patient.