Effectiveness of auricular therapy on labor pain: A randomized clinical trial

Abstract

Objective: to evaluate the effectiveness of auricular therapy on pain in the active phase of labor. Method: a randomized, parallel and triple-blind clinical trial, conducted from April 2015 to June 2016. A total of 102 pregnant women with a gestational age ≥37 weeks, cervical dilatation ≥4 cm and two or more contractions within 10 minutes, randomly divided into three groups: intervention (auricular therapy), placebo (sham points) and control (without intervention). Auricular therapy was applied with crystal microspheres in four strategic points and pain intensity evaluated by a Visual and Analog Scale. For the analyses, the following tests were used: Kruskal-Wallis and Generalized estimating equations. Results: pain intensity averages were similar at admission (intervention: 7.2±1.6 vs placebo: 6.9±2.4 vs control: 7.5±1.8; p-value=0.4475), but with 60 minutes (intervention: 6.8±1.9 vs placebo: 7.5±2.4 vs control: 8.3±1.8; p=0.0060) and 120 minutes (intervention: 7.1±1.9 vs placebo: 8.0±2.4 vs control: 8.8±1.9; p-value=0.039), there was a significant increase in pain scores between parturients of the placebo and control groups. Conclusion: parturients who received auricular therapy during labor showed a reduction in pain intensity, which may characterize the effectiveness of the therapy in this phase. Registration: No. RBR-47hhbj.