Open AccessPhysical therapy for pregnancy‐related low back and pelvic pain: a systematic review
Author(s) -
Stuge Britt,
Hilde Gunvor,
Vøllestad Nina
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
acta obstetricia et gynecologica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.401
H-Index - 102
eISSN - 1600-0412
pISSN - 0001-6349
DOI - 10.1034/j.1600-0412.2003.00125.x
Subject(s) - medicine , physical therapy , psychological intervention , clinical trial , pelvic pain , low back pain , quality of life (healthcare) , pregnancy , population , systematic review , randomized controlled trial , intervention (counseling) , medline , alternative medicine , surgery , nursing , environmental health , pathology , biology , political science , law , genetics
Background. A systematic review of prospective controlled clinical trials was performed to assess the effectiveness of physical therapy interventions for the prevention and treatment of pregnancy‐related back and pelvic pain. Pregnancy‐related low back and pelvic pain has an impact on daily life for many women. Prevention and treatment of back and pelvic pain is therefore an important issue for all those concerned with women's health. Methods. All prospective controlled clinical trials retrieved by systematic searching of electronic databases, checking of reference lists and contacting of authors were examined. Two reviewers independently selected trials for inclusion and independently assessed the internal validity of the included trials. Authors were contacted to obtain missing information. Results. Nine trials with a total of 1350 patients were reviewed. Except for three high‐quality studies, the validity of the trials was moderate to low. Two high‐quality studies showed no difference in pain intensity and functional status between the exercise groups and the control groups. In the third high‐quality study significant reduction in sick leave was found in favor of water gymnastics compared with no intervention. Because the included trials were considered heterogeneous with regard to study design, population intervention and outcome, no meta‐analysis was performed. Conclusions. Because of heterogeneity and the varying quality of the studies no strong evidence exists concerning the effect of physical therapy interventions on the prevention and treatment of back and pelvic pain related to pregnancy. Future studies should meet current methodological standards, and interventions to be evaluated should be based on established theoretical framework.