Conservative interventions for addressing prenatal and postnatal ailments have been described in the research literature. Research results indicated that maternity support belts assist with reducing pain and other symptoms in these phases; however, compliance in wearing maternity support belts is poor. To combat poor compliance, commercial manufacturers designed dynamic elastomeric fabric orthoses (DEFO)/compression garments that target prenatal and postnatal ailments. This systematic review aimed to identify, critically appraise, and synthesize key findings on the effectiveness, the feasibility, and the acceptability of using DEFO to manage ailments during pre-natal and postnatal phases of care. Electronic databases were systematically searched to identify relevant studies, resulting in 17 studies that met the eligibility criteria. There were variations in DEFO descriptors, including hosiery, support belts, abdominal binders and more, making it difficult to compare findings from the research articles regarding value of DEFO during prenatal and/or postnatal phases. A meta-synthesis of empirical research findings suggests wearing DEFOs during pregnancy has a significant desirable effect for managing pain and improving functional capacity. Further research is required to investigate the use of DEFOs for managing pain in the postnatal period and improving quality life during prenatal and postnatal care.

Background Common prenatal ailments negatively impact performance of activities of daily living and it has been proposed that the use of dynamic elastomeric fabric orthoses, more commonly referred to as compression garments, during pregnancy might aid in the reduction of pain from these ailments, allowing for improved functional capacity. However, the effectiveness of such garments in this context has not been established. This study aims to determine whether compression shorts are effective and thermally safe in the prevention and management of prenatal pelvic and low back pain (LBP). Method A prospective quasi-experimental controlled study using parallel groups without random allocation was conducted, involving 55 childbearing women (gestational weeks 16–31) recruited from hospital and community-based maternity care providers. The compression shorts group (SG) wore SRC Pregnancy Shorts in addition to receiving usual care. The comparison group (CG) received usual care alone. Primary outcome measures—Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) and Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ) and secondary measures Pelvic Floor Impact Questionnaire - 7 (PFIQ-7) and SF-36 Short Form Health Survey—were assessed fortnightly over 6-weeks for both groups. The compression SG self-assessed daily their body temperatures to monitor thermal impact. Data analysis involved descriptive analyses of the primary and secondary outcome measures scores by group and time-point, and multivariable linear regressions to assess between-group differences in change scores at 6-weeks from baseline while controlling for baseline factors. Results After controlling for baseline scores, gestational weeks and parity, statistically significant differences in NPRS and RMDQ change scores between groups were in favour of the compression SG. At 6-weeks, mean (SD) NPRS change scores in the compression SG and CG were significantly different, at −0.38 (2.21) and 2.82 (2.68), respectively, p = 0.003. Mean (SD) RMDQ change scores in the compression SG and CG were also significantly different, at 0.46 (3.05) and 3.64 (3.32), respectively, p = 0.009. A total of 883 (99.7%) of the reported daily self-assessed body temperatures ranged between 35.4 and 38.0 °C when wearing the compression shorts. At 6-weeks, mean (SD) PFIQ-7 and SF-36 change scores in the compression SG and CG were not significantly different. Conclusion Compression shorts are effective and thermally safe for prenatal management of pelvic and LBP. Registration Trial registration was not required (Australian Government Department of Health Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), 2018).

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of a postnatal dynamic elastomeric fabric orthoses to manage postpartum pain, improve functional capacity and enhance the quality of life arising from postnatal ailments immediately to an 8-week postpartum, compared with patients who did not wear dynamic elastomeric fabric orthoses. Method: A total of 51 postpartum women were recruited (day 0 to 10 days post-delivery) from hospitals and community-based health clinics to participate in a prospective quasi-experimental controlled study using parallel groups without random allocation. The subgroup of the compression shorts group wore SRC recovery shorts and received standard postnatal care. The comparison group received standard postnatal care alone. Wear compliance was monitored throughout the study. Primary outcome measure, Numeric Pain Rating Scale, and secondary outcome measures, Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire, Pelvic Floor Impact Questionnaire–7, and Short Form (SF-36) were assessed fortnightly over 8 weeks for both groups. Results: The compression shorts group reported a larger reduction in mean (SD) Numeric Pain Rating Scale score (−3.09 (2.20)) from baseline to 8 weeks, compared to the comparison group (−2.00 (1.41)). However, there was insufficient evidence of a statistical difference in Numeric Pain Rating Scale score at 8 weeks when comparing the compression shorts group and comparison group (−1.17; 95%CI: (−2.35, −0.01), R2 = .19, p = .050). The compression shorts group met the wear compliance of the dynamic elastomeric fabric orthoses and reported an average wear of the dynamic elastomeric fabric orthoses as 9 out of 14 days for 11 h per day (SD 4.8 h) between the fortnightly timepoints. Conclusion: The use of dynamic elastomeric fabric orthoses may be considered during postnatal care as a non-pharmacological therapeutic intervention to manage pain resulting from common postpartum ailments. While the dynamic elastomeric fabric orthoses was clinically well accepted by participants with high wearing compliance, future research with larger population samples are needed to enable statistical conclusions on the effectiveness of a dynamic elastomeric fabric orthoses in postnatal care to be made. Registration: Trial registration was not required as per the Australian Government Department of Health, Therapeutic Goods Administration.