Acupuncture relieves pelvic and low‐back pain in late pregnancy

Kvorning, Nina; Holmberg, Catharina; Grennert, Lars; Åberg, Anders; Åkeson, Jonas

doi:10.1111/j.0001-6349.2004.0215.x

Cited by 95 publications

(113 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…29 One strength of this study is that its results are similar to those of some previous studies on acupuncture for low back and pelvic pain in pregnancy. Effects found in this trial that have been reported before include: observed analgesic effect which was greater than in the control group, [15][16][17][18] decrease in analgesic use, 18 and increase in activity. 16,18 Many acupuncturists are reluctant to use acupuncture in pregnant women, as they believe that some points might trigger uterine contractions.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 56%

“…In general, pelvic and low back pain are often considered together. [16][17][18] Outcome measures At the baseline and at final interview, the women estimated the severity of their pain using a numerical rating scale (NRS) from 0 to 10, where 0 meant no pain and 10, the greatest imaginable ACUPUNCTURE IN MEDICINE 2004;22(2):60-67.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…They did not find serious adverse effects in the patients or in the infants. 18 A systematic review by Young and Jewell concluded that, although more information is necessary, there are indications that acupuncture is useful in the treatment and prevention of low back and pelvic pain during pregnancy. 19 The aim of this study was to determine the effects of using acupuncture for the treatment of low back and pelvic pain under real life conditions by comparing two groups treated conventionally, where one of them was also treated with acupuncture.…”

Section: -12mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Acupuncture for Low Back Pain in Pregnancy – a Prospective, Quasi- Randomised, Controlled Study

et al. 2004

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This study was undertaken to investigate the effects of acupuncture in low back and pelvic pain during pregnancy under real life conditions, as compared with patients undergoing conventional treatment alone. A total of 61 conventionally treated pregnant women were allocated randomly into two groups to be treated or not by acupuncture. Twenty-seven patients formed the study group and 34 the control group. They reported the severity of pain using a Numerical Rating Scale from 0 to 10, and their capacity to perform general activities, to work, and to walk. We also assessed the use of analgesic drugs. Women were followed up for eight weeks and interviewed five times, at two-week intervals. All women completed the study. In the study group the average pain during the study period showed a larger reduction (4.8 points) than the control group (−0.3 points) (P<0.0001). Average pain scores decreased by at least 50% over time in 21 (78%) patients in the acupuncture group and in five (15%) patients in the control group (P<0.0001). Maximum pain and pain at the moment of interview were also less in the acupuncture group compared with the control group. The capacity to perform general activities, to work and to walk was improved significantly more in the study group than in the control group (P<0.05). The use of paracetamol was lower in the acupuncture group (P<0.01). These results indicate that acupuncture seems to alleviate low back and pelvic pain during pregnancy, as well as to increase the capacity for some physical activities and to diminish the need for drugs, which is a great advantage during this period.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 56%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: -12mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Acupuncture for Low Back Pain in Pregnancy – a Prospective, Quasi- Randomised, Controlled Study

et al. 2004

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“…[28][29][30][31][32][33] To date, two rigorously conducted systematic reviews have been published. 7,34 The first of these was a Cochrane Review of eight studies (1305 participants) testing the effects of adding various pregnancy-specific exercises, physiotherapy, acupuncture and pillows to standard pre-natal care.…”

Section: Acupuncturementioning

confidence: 99%

“…A further study showed that 60% of those who received acupuncture reported less intense pain, compared with 14% who had standard pre-natal care. 31 The second systematic review 34 focused on randomised trials of needle acupuncture for back pain and PGP in pregnancy and included only three trials (448 women), all from Sweden. 28,31,32 The conclusions were similar to the Cochrane Review by Pennick and Young.…”

Section: Acupuncturementioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluating Acupuncture and Standard carE for pregnant women with Back pain (EASE Back): a feasibility study and pilot randomised trial

Foster

Bishop

Bartlam

et al. 2016

Health Technol Assess

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BackgroundMany pregnant women experience low back pain. Acupuncture appears to be a safe, promising intervention but evidence is needed about its clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness.ObjectivesTo assess the feasibility of a future large randomised controlled trial (RCT) testing the additional benefit of adding acupuncture to standard care (SC) for pregnancy-related back pain.DesignPhase 1: a questionnaire survey described current care for pregnancy-related back pain. Focus groups and interviews with midwives, physiotherapists and pregnant women explored acceptability and feasibility of acupuncture and the proposed RCT. Phase 2: a single-centre pilot RCT. Participants were identified using six methods and randomised to SC, SC plus true acupuncture or SC plus non-penetrating acupuncture.ParticipantsPhase 1: 1093 physiotherapists were surveyed and 15 midwives, 21 physiotherapists and 17 pregnant women participated in five focus groups and 20 individual interviews. Phase 2: 125 women with pregnancy-related back pain participated.InterventionsSC: a self-management booklet and onward referral for one-to-one physiotherapy (two to four sessions) for those who needed it. SC plus true acupuncture: the self-management booklet and six to eight treatments with a physiotherapist comprising true (penetrating) acupuncture, advice and exercise. SC plus non-penetrating acupuncture: the self-management booklet and six to eight treatments with a physiotherapist comprising non-penetrating acupuncture, advice and exercise.Main outcome measuresPilot RCT outcomes included recruitment rates, treatment fidelity, follow-up rate, patient-reported pain and function, quality of life and health-care resource use. Birth and neonatal outcomes were also assessed. Staff overseeing outcome data collection were blind to treatment allocation.ResultsPhase 1: 629 (57.5%) physiotherapists responded to the survey, 499 were experienced in treating pregnancy-related back pain and reported 16 advice and 18 treatment options. Typical treatment comprised two to four individual sessions of advice and exercise over 6 weeks. Acupuncture was reported by 24%. Interviews highlighted the impact of back pain and paucity of effective interventions. Women and midwives strongly supported a RCT and expressed few concerns. Physiotherapists’ concerns about acupuncture in pregnancy informed a training programme prior to the pilot RCT. Phase 2: We recruited 125 of 280 potentially eligible women (45%) in 6 months and randomised 41 to SC and 42 each to the SC plus true acupuncture and SC plus non-penetrating acupuncture arms. Analysis was conducted with 124 participants (41, 42 and 41, respectively) as one participant was randomised in error. Three of six recruitment methods were the most successful. In total, 10% of women (n = 4) randomised to SC alone accessed one-to-one physiotherapy and received an average of two treatments. The average number of treatments was six for both SC plus true acupuncture and SC plus non-penetrating acupuncture. Treatments were in line with protocols. Eight-week follow-up was 74%. Patient-reported outcomes (pain, function and quality of life) favoured the addition of acupuncture. There was no evidence of serious adverse events on mothers or birth and neonatal outcomes. The Pelvic Girdle Questionnaire was found to be an appropriate outcome measure for a future trial.ConclusionsA future main RCT is feasible and would be welcomed by women and clinicians. Longer-term follow-up and further follow-up efforts are recommended for a main trial.Trial registrationCurrent Controlled Trials ISRCTN49955124.FundingThis project was funded by the National Institute of Health Research Health Technology Assessment programme and will be published in full inHealth Technology Assessment; Vol. 20, No. 33. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information.

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Interventions for preventing and treating pelvic and back pain in pregnancy

Pennick

Young

2013

Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews

215

143

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Acupuncture relieves pelvic and low‐back pain in late pregnancy

Abstract: Acupuncture relieves low-back and pelvic pain without serious adverse effects in late pregnancy.

Cited by 95 publications

References 10 publications

Acupuncture for Low Back Pain in Pregnancy – a Prospective, Quasi- Randomised, Controlled Study

Acupuncture for Low Back Pain in Pregnancy – a Prospective, Quasi- Randomised, Controlled Study

Evaluating Acupuncture and Standard carE for pregnant women with Back pain (EASE Back): a feasibility study and pilot randomised trial

Interventions for preventing and treating pelvic and back pain in pregnancy

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