Sterile water injections given by midwives to women in labour to relieve back pain have been shown to deliver effective relief in an Australian trial.

Twice as many of the women who received the water injections reported their pain reduced by at least half for 90 minutes or longer, compared to those on placebo, according to a University of Queensland-led study.

Researcher Dr Nigel Lee (PhD) said the practice, considered ‘midwifery voodoo’ by many Australian hospitals, was shown to be safe and effective in the trial.

“Some midwives have used this practice in order to provide pain relief for a number of years, however until now, there has always been limited research to suggest that it works,” said Dr Lee, of the UQ School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work.