The benefits of cooling therapy

Cooling therapy has been shown to be an effective, non-pharmacological method for reducing perineal pain and swelling. An analgesic (numbing) effect is achieved when tissue temperature is reduced by 10-15 degrees Celsius by applying a cold pack topically for 10-20 minutes.¹

• It is a widely used and accepted perineal pain management approach in hospitals
• Easy to use, inexpensive and doesn’t interfere with breastfeeding
• It is a pain management solution that new mums can continue to use once they leave hospital
• It can be safely used as often and for as long as it is required

Perineal pain

Perineal pain is common during the birth of a baby. Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) have reported that up to 90% of women who give birth vaginally will experience some sort of trauma in the form of a tear, graze or episiotomy.²  However, even if no trauma is experienced, many women who give birth vaginally will feel a level of pain and discomfort post-partum.

Perineal pain and trauma can significantly impact a new mother’s ability to move around after birth and can interfere with how she is able to parent her new baby. A woman’s vagina and perineum can take anywhere up to 6 weeks to completely heal, depending on the level of trauma suffered.

1  East CE, Begg L, Henshall NE, Marchant PR, Wallace K. Local cooling for relieving pain from perineal trauma sustained during childbirth.
Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2012(5):CD006304.

2  https://www.rcog.org.uk/en/patients/tears/tears-childbirth/