Infrared Therapy Versus Sitz Bath for Episiotomy Wound Healing and Maternal Comfort

Episiotomy pain and delayed perineal healing can interfere with sitting, walking, urination, sleep, breastfeeding, infant care, and emotional recovery after childbirth. Infrared therapy and sitz baths are non-pharmacological interventions used to reduce discomfort and support healing. Infrared therapy supplies controlled dry radiant heat, whereas a sitz bath exposes the perineum to shallow warm water. This narrative review compares their proposed mechanisms, clinical outcomes, safety, feasibility, and acceptability. Recent evidence suggests that dry heat may produce larger improvements in pain and Redness, Edema, Ecchymosis, Discharge, and Approximation scores than moist heat, but individual studies are heterogeneous and not uniformly conclusive. A 2024 randomized study of 208 primiparous women reported very similar wound and pain outcomes between far-infrared therapy and sitz baths, with several group differences not reaching statistical significance. Intervention choice should therefore consider equipment, hygiene, privacy, mobility, cultural preferences, treatment burden, and the woman's informed preference. Neither method replaces wound assessment, analgesia when indicated, perineal hygiene, or prompt evaluation of infection, dehiscence, hematoma, or persistent pain. Better trials should standardize treatment protocols, measure clinically important outcomes, and incorporate women's experiences alongside clinical healing.

Keywords: episiotomy, infrared therapy, sitz bath, perineal wound healing, postpartum pain, maternal comfort