The “walking epidural” combines the spinal and epidural techniques as described in the section “combined spinal epidural (CSE)”. The spinal part offers rapid-onset pain relief without producing weakness of the legs. The epidural part provides flexibility of continuing the analgesia. The technique can be tailored to enable women to walk around the labor floor without feeling pain. While it is unclear whether walking in labor reduces its duration, it has been suggested that analgesic requirements are reduced by ambulation and that women appreciate the opportunity to ambulate even for short periods during labor. Several anesthesiologists may use ‘CSE’ technique to provide labor analgesia but may not allow you to walk once the epidural is in place.
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