SWITCh
The SWITCh Trial (Sterile Water Injections Technique Comparison Trial). A randomised, controlled trial of a Single Versus a Four Intradermal Sterile Water Injection Technique for relief of continuous lower back pain during labour.
Mater Mothers’ Research Centre is committed to supporting clinical research that improves the health and well being of birthing women.
This site provides information about sterile water injections (SWI) and the SWITCh trial.
The SWITCh trial is supported by Mater Mothers’ Research Centre and the Australian Catholic University and promises to be a challenging and exciting venture, which we believe will assist in providing a SWI technique that is a simple, best practice procedure for the relief of back pain in labour.
If you would like to participate in the trial, or have any questions or comments, please contact the research team.
Background to the trial
Sterile water injections (SWI) for the relief of back pain in labour were introduced to Mater Mothers’ Hospital birth suites in February 2009.
The four injection SWI technique is practised in the birth suite, as it is the most commonly used technique in Australia and around the world.
Recently, a technique using just one injection of sterile water has been tried that appears to provide similar levels of pain relief to the four injection technique. The single injection is given at the point where the woman indicates the back pain is worst.
A number of different techniques have developed, although few have been directly compared to demonstrate whether there are specific benefits to using one particular technique over another. Therefore, the aim of the proposed study is to examine if the single injection technique is as effective as the routinely used four injection method in reducing continuous lower back pain experienced during labour.