Effect of high level laser therapy on postoperative cesarean section incisional pain

Abstract

Background: Postoperative pain is a significant concern for pregnant women undergoing a cesarean section. This pain not only instills fear in patients when considering consent for the surgery but also negatively affects their emotional well-being. Purpose: This study was carried out to investigate the impact of high-level laser on incisional pain after postoperative cesarean section. Methods: Fifty post-operative lower segment cesarean section women participated. They were selected randomly from the El Shatby University Hospital in Alexandria. They were aged from 20 to 40 years. Their BMI was less than 30 kg/m². All participants were distributed into two equivalent groups; the control group was treated by medical treatment (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs as well as antibiotics) only, and the study group was treated by the same medical treatment given to the control group in addition to a high-level laser for 5 minutes on days 2nd, 3rd, and 4th after the cesarean section (3 sessions). VAS and cortisol level were used to assess the severity of incisional pain for each woman in both groups pre- and post-treatment. Results: The results showed that in both groups' VAS and cortisol levels decreased significantly after treatment. In terms of VAS and cortisol levels, there was no statistically significant difference between both groups pre-treatment. Significant differences in VAS and cortisol levels were seen between both groups after treatment, favoring the study group. Conclusion: It can be concluded that high-level laser therapy is safe and effective in reducing postoperative incisional pain through decreasing pain intensity and cortisol level.