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Childbirth is a remarkable experience for any woman to undergo. During the roughly 9 months leading up to the highly anticipated day, expecting mothers spend a lot of time researching and deciding how they would like their birth to go. If the pregnancy is healthy and there are no medical concerns, doctors will mostly opt for a vaginal birth. Even though “natural births” tend to be preferred by obstetricians, there are many reasons why having a C-section may be safer.
A C-section is a surgery in which your doctor delivers your baby through a surgical incision made in the abdomen or uterus. Cesarean section may be used to deliver your baby if there are complications during labor that could affect your health or your baby’s. However, like with any other major surgery, c-sections may carry long-term symptoms. Learn more about these symptoms and new emerging technologies that are aiding these concerns below.
What are the long term symptoms of C-sections?
C-section surgery recovery tends to take longer than vaginal delivery. Because this procedure involves cutting through the abdomen muscles, recovery can take 4 to 6 weeks on average, compared to 1 to 2 weeks for a vaginal birth.
Cesareans can have many of the expected risks involved with any major surgery such as risk of infection, vomiting, headaches, and many more. However, postoperative pain is one of the major concerns expecting mothers have about c-sections. According to the U.S. Institute of Medicine, 80% of patients who undergo surgery report postoperative pain, with moderate to extreme pain levels. These symptoms can lead to potentially severe complications and possibly delay recovery for these patients.
Postoperative pain is an acute form of pain that arises after serious surgical trauma. Post-surgery injured tissue creates muscle spasms, inflammatory reactions, and an afferent neuronal barrage that shock the nervous system. Women experiencing these symptoms feel extreme pain and a pulling sensation months or even years after surgery.
Proper pain management for women who underwent cesarean section is not only essential to decrease infections, and hospitalization, but most importantly, it aids women return to their normal life functions. There are many medical technologies that claim to decrease pain and manage these problems, however, there is one technology that does not only address pain management, but also accelerates the healing of wounds.
How can cold laser therapy aid postoperative pain?
Low-level laser therapy (3LT®) is used on cesarean section patients to accelerate surgical wound healing. 3LT®is a professional’s preferred method in the treatment of post-op pain due to its non-invasive and safe technology. This makes it widely accepted by patients because it reduces the risk of overconsumption of analgesics and other pain management drugs. LLLT reduces the edema and inflammation after surgery, speeding up the healing process of wounds and modulating metabolic processes.
How does cold laser therapy work?
3LT® is an optimal option for those looking for alternatives to prescription pain drugs. So how does laser therapy work anyways? This safe, non-invasive treatment works by exposing skin cells to concentrated wavelengths of low-level red light targeted to help increase cell reproduction.
The target? The mitochondria – the body’s powerhouse. For a deeper dive into the link between mitochondria optimal performance and the overall body’s ability to reduce pain and inflammation, check out the blog How Does Red Light Therapy Work?
How safe are low-level lasers?
The second most commonly asked question aside from how the treatment works is, is it safe? 3LT® is an extremely safe, non-invasive, non-toxic and painless treatment that is not associated with any side effects at this time. The treatment is perfectly safe to use in the management of postoperative pain. Read on if you are interested in learning more about the safety concerns of red light therapy.
C-section births are often an option chosen by expecting mothers and sometimes, an in-labor last resort to ensure a safe birth. No matter what the reason may be, dealing with painful postoperative symptoms should not be a long term deal. Contact Erchonia today to learn more about how our 3LT® treatment can transform your childbirth experience.
