Background: Cesarean delivery (CD) is one of the most frequently performed abdominal surgeries. Nearly 50% to 70% of women experience pain following CD, making it a major concern for obstetricians. Abdominal binder (AB) is a non-pharmacological method that showed a promising effect in managing postoperative pain. However, the two recently published meta-analyses showed inconsistent results.
Objective: To assess the effectiveness of abdominal binders in reducing postoperative pain and distress in women undergoing cesarean deliveries.
Methods: Four electronic databases were comprehensively searched till June 2024 (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library). We only included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that studied AB following CD. Primary outcome was postoperative pain measured with visual analog scale (VAS) or numerical rating scale(NRS). Secondary outcomes were patient distress, evaluated by symptom distress scale (SDS) and mobilization by a 6-minute walking test (6MWT). Pooled results are presented as mean differences (MDs) with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs).
Results: Our meta-analysis included 10 RCTs (N=1232 patients). Abdominal binder significantly reduced post-cesarian VAS at 24h (MD= -1.13, 95% CI [-1.99, -0.27], p = 0.01) and 48h (MD= -0.62, 95% CI [-0.75, -0.49], p <0.00001). Also, it significantly lowered post-cesarian SDS scores at 24h (MD= -2.24, 95% CI [-3.26, -1.22], p <0.0001) and 48h (MD= -2.71, 95% CI [-4.63, -0.80], p =0.005). The AB group showed improved mobility than the routine care group (MD= 18.86, 95% CI [15.13, 22.59], p <0.00001).
Conclusion: Abdominal binders could be an effective non-pharmacological option in reducing postoperative pain and distress and improving mobilization after cesarean delivery.