Back Pain and Spinal Care During Pregnancy

Pregnancy and Birth is a Natural Process, the role of your health provider is to allow your body to adapt and function as it was designed to and support you during this important time.

As many new mothers can attest, the muscle strains of pregnancy are very real and can be quite uncomfortable. A combination of factors may result in severe discomfort, particularly in the lower back. More than two-thirds of pregnant women experience low-back pain and almost one-fifth experience pelvic pain (4). The two conditions may occur separately or together (low-back and pelvic pain) and typically increase with advancing pregnancy, interfering with work, daily activities and sleep (1,4).

While back pain is common when pregnant it should not be accepted as part of the process. There is no need to put up with a sore back when pregnant. Evidence from single studies suggests that acupuncture may improve  pregnancy-related pelvic pain, and manipulative therapy or a multi-modal intervention (manual therapy, exercise and education) may also be of benefit (1,2,3,4,5).

References:

• 1. Pennick V, Young G. 2014. Interventions for preventing and treating pelvic and back pain in pregnancy. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Issue 2. www.cochrane.org [Accessed July 2016]
• 2. Ternov N, Grennert L, Aberg A. 2001. Acupuncture for lower back and pelvic pain in late pregnancy: a retrospective report on 167 consecutive cases. Pain Medicine. 2(3): 204-207
• 3. Wedenberg K, Moen B, Norling A. 2000. A prospective randomized study comparing acupuncture with physiotherapy for low-back and pelvic pain in pregnancy. Acta Obstetrica et Gynecologica Scandinavica. 79 (5): 125-128
• 4.Ostgaard H, Andersson G, Karlsson K. 1991. Prevalence of back pain in pregnancy. Spine. 16: 549-552
• 5. Kluge J, Hall D, Louw Q, Theron G, Grové D. 2011. Specific exercises to
  treat pregnancy-related low back pain in a South African population. International Journal Of Gynaecology And Obstetrics. 113(3): 187-91