A study of women with both back and pelvic pain showed that 60 percent who received Acupuncture treatment reported less intense pain, compared to 14 percent of women who did not. The study found no complications associated with the use of Acupuncture in pregnant women.

Back and pelvic pain can interfere with everything – work, recreation and even sleep. According to an updated review of eight studies involving 1,305 pregnant women from Sweden, Iran, Brazil, Thailand and Australia, more than two-thirds of pregnant women experience back pain and almost one-fifth report pelvic pain.

“When you’re pregnant, your center of gravity is off. You have to arch your back to balance this huge tummy, so you end up with extra strain on your back and pelvic muscles,” said Victoria Pennick, M.H.Sc., a senior clinical research project manager at the Institute for Work & Health in Toronto, Canada.

Although none of the eight studies reviewed addressed back or pelvic pain specifically, data on the effects of pregnancy-specific strengthening exercises, water exercises, Acupuncture and other pain-relief interventions to regular prenatal care were available.

“We were able to group trials about women who had back pain alone, women who had pelvic pain alone and both,” Pennick said.

The review authors found that women who participated in prenatal exercise programs to stretch the pelvic muscles, strengthen the abdominal and hamstring muscles and increase spinal flexibility reported significant decreases in back pain compared to women who received the usual prenatal care.

One study evaluated work absenteeism during pregnancy and found that only 12.9 percent who participated in water gymnastics missed work due to low back pain, compared with 21.7 percent who received usual prenatal care. Another study found good results from use of the “Ozzlo” pil­low, a soft curved cushion designed to support the pregnant abdomen when lying down, superior to a regular pillow in relieving back pain.

On average, women who followed through with pelvic or back pain interventions experienced some pain relief and reported less need for pain medication, physical therapy and posture-support belts.

SOURCE: Health Behavior News Service, May 2007, http://www.cfah.org/hbns/getDocument.cfm?documentID=1505

Each of the participants in the study had moderate to severe acute low back pain, moderate to severe radiating pain in one leg and MRI evidence of disc protrusion in the spinal segments considered associated with the pain. Researcher’s collected detailed information regarding the pain history of each participant, range of motion in the affected areas and data regarding each person’s overall quality of life.

Subjects in the active treatment group received soft tissue manipulation followed by Chiropractic adjustment with the purpose to restore movement to the area consisting of two vertebrae, a disc and surrounding structures.

Those subjects in the simulated treatment group received soft muscle pressing that was similar to manipulation but without the specific patterns of rapid thrusts to the area administered.

During the treatment period, patients in both groups were asked to keep a diary to track the number of days they were in pain, the number and type of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) they took, and the number of drug prescriptions involved.

Results at the end of this 6-month period showed a significant difference in the number of pain-free subjects. The active treatment group was 55% free of radiating pain compared to only 20% in the simulation group.

Additionally, 28% of the active group was free of local pain compared to 6% in the simulation group. Another benefit of the treatment was the reduced use of pain medications in the active treatment group.

Researchers concluded that the patients receiving active Chiropractic manipulations enjoyed significantly greater relief of local and radiating acute low back pain, spent fewer days with moderate-to-severe pain and consumed fewer drugs for the control of pain.

SOURCE: Dynamic Chiropractic Online. http://www.chiroweb.com/archives/24/06/19.html