Do Different Types of Anaesthesia for Cesarean Delivery cause Subacute Low Back Pain ?

Abstract

Background: Low back pain is a common complaint after cesarean delivery, different causes may be involved however they are poorly understood due to many confounders. Methodology: We performed this retrospective cohort study to assess the intensity of low back pain among 38 women (26 of them underwent cesarean delivery, assessed after 6 to 12 weeks from delivery date, they were classified into: epidural anaesthetic group (Group A) n.=6, spinal anaesthetic group (Group B) n.=13, general anaesthetic group (Group C) n.=7 and they were either primiparous or multiparous who did not receive any type of anaesthesia for at least one year prior to the last obstetric anaesthesia while the other 12 women were the control group (Group D) who didn’t experience any pregnancy or anaesthesia. Results: The mean values of visual analogue scale (VAS) in Group A, Group B, Group C, and Group D were 5.00 ±1.67, 4.62 ±1.12, 5.14 ±1.21, and 2.17 ±0.71, respectively. The ANOVA test revealed a significant difference in VAS among groups A, B, C, and D. Despite, the post-hoc test revealed a significant difference in VAS between group A versus group D, group B versus group D, and group C versus group D, but there were no significant differences between group A versus group B, group A versus group C, and group B versus group C. Conclusion: Cesarean delivery with different anaesthetic types as: epidural, spinal and general anaesthesia was associated with subacute low back pain without significant differences in pain intensity between these anaesthetic types. Key words: Neuraxial Anaesthesia, General Anaesthesia,Cesarean Delivery, Subacute Period, Low Back Pain.