OHIO — Cesarean deliveries are one of the most common surgical procedures in the United States.

In fact, more than one million people bring their babies into this world via C-section each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

What You Need To Know

  • More than 1 million C-section surgeries are performed each year in the U.S.

  • Many times, opioids are prescribed for pain management

  • Recently, a team from The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center studied the use of an alternative pain relief device called TrueRelief

  • Patients who received the electrical stimulation used 47% less opioids

Many times, patients are prescribed opioids for pain.

Since difficult side effects and additional risks are always a concern, a team at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center is taking a closer look into drug-free alternatives.

In a recent study published in the JAMA Network Open, precise electrical pulses could make a big difference.

Dr. Jennifer Grasch is a maternal fetal medicine fellow at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. She’s performed thousands of C-sections and has been interested in alternative pain control options since med-school.

“I think C-sections are really unique surgery because unlike other major surgeries — where you get to go home and hopefully, rest, relax and recover — after a C-section, women have to be up and moving and sleep deprived and taking care of a new baby. So any of the side effects from opioids can seem even bigger or have bigger side effects,” Grasch said.

Recently, she and a team studied the effects of a device called TrueRelief.

“With women who got treated with the real device and treated with the sham device, the only thing they really felt was sort of a mild vibration. There was no pain with the device, we didn’t have any side effects of women complaining about anything related to the treatments,” said Grasch.

The team found that patients who received the electrical stimulation used 47% less opioids.

Each treatment was 12 minutes and done three times in the first 24 hours post-surgery.

“We were very excited and encouraged by the results,” said Grasch.

“That’s Natalie, there’s Adela, Lena. All three of our girls were delivered by C-section,” said Brooke Rengers.

Rengers is a women’s health nurse practitioner and faculty member at The Ohio State College of Nursing. 

Her girls are 4, 2, and 10 months old, and they keep the family very busy.

With her background combined with her C-section experiences, she was excited to hear about the study. She used opioids for pain with the first two.

“The side effects, I just got really sleepy,” she said.

Rengers also found it difficult to be fully in the moment. 

For her third C-section, she just relied on over-the-counter medicines.

“It made me feel better too because I felt more like myself. I was alert,” she said.

Feeling drowsy and problems with digestion are common side effects from opioid use.

For C-section recovery in general, Rengers suggests that patients ask their providers about different options.

“Ask them for recommendations, specifically pelvic floor therapy or various massage therapies,” she said.

As for Grasch, she hopes this study can make a difference.

“We have a long way to go in trying to help women through this very common surgery and be new moms and take care of new babies,” she said.

It took over a year to get the study up and running and 134 patients participated. 

Researchers did not change how many opioid pills were prescribed or made available to the patients.