[Walking epidurals: mobilisation during neuraxial labour analgesia].

Neuraxial anaesthesia offers the most effective form of obstetric pain relief and is superior to other methods of analgesia, and it does not increase the risk of caesarean section. In daily practice, various techniques are used including the options of patient-controlled epidural analgesia (PCEA) and combined spinal epidural analgesia (CSEA). Risk information is one of the prerequisites for 'informed consent'. Omitting the epidural test dose and using low-dose local anaesthetics with lipophilic opioids enhances early mobilisation.