Effect of therapeutic exercises on pregnancy-related low back pain and pelvic girdle pain: Secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the effect of a supervised, structured exercise programme on the occurrence and severity of pregnancy-related lumbopelvic pain. Design: Randomized controlled trial. Subjects: A total of 45 pregnant women were randomly assigned to 2 groups: an experimental group (n=20; mean age 32.8 (standard deviation (SD) 3.6) years) and a control group (n=22; mean age 32.2 years (SD 4.9)). Methods: Exercise intervention for the experimental group consisted of aerobic and resistance exercises performed bi-weekly from the date of inclusion into the study until the end of pregnancy, together with at least 30 min of brisk daily walks. A numeric rating scale, Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ), and Pelvic Girdle Questionnaire (PGQ) were used to measure outcomes. The control group received only standard antenatal care. Results: There were significant differences between the 2 groups on the numeric rating scale, PGQ and RMDQ scores in the 36th week of pregnancy (p=0.017; p=0.005; p<0.001, respectively) in favour of the experimental group. Conclusion: The exercise programme had a beneficial effect on the severity of lumbopelvic pain in pregnancy, reducing the intensity of pain and the level of disability experienced as a result.