What is it about?
International research demonstrates that 25–30% of women use complementary and alternative medicine to manage low-back and pelvic girdle pain in pregnancy without robust evidence demonstrating its effectiveness. It is essential that current practice is informed by a robust evidence base to ensure the safety of both the mother and her unborn child.
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Why is it important?
There is limited evidence available on the role of CAM therapies for these common pregnancy-related conditions. This review was designed to examine the design, implementation and outcomes associated with CAM therapies for pregnancy-related low back- and / or pelvic girdle pain and make recommendations for future research. Eight studies met the review inclusion criteria, all of which were randomised controlled trials. Only two studies, investigating the effect of acupuncture, had a low risk of bias and demonstrated clinically important and statistically significant findings in support of the experimental intervention. The remaining studies had a high risk of bias, therefore their conclusions must be treated with caution.
Perspectives
It is essential that further research of high quality design and implementation is carried out in this field of alternative medicine, to generate evidence-informed treatment approaches that women can be confident are safe for both themselves and their unborn child.
Dr Sarah Dianne Liddle
University of Ulster
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: A systematic review investigating the effectiveness of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) for the management of low back and/or pelvic pain (LBPP) in pregnancy, Journal of Advanced Nursing, March 2014, Wiley,
DOI: 10.1111/jan.12360.
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