Pregnancy-Related Lumbopelvic Pain: Listening to Australian Women

Abstract

Objective. To investigate the prevalence and nature of lumbo-pelvic pain (LPP), that is experienced by women in the lumbar and/or sacro-iliac area and/or symphysis pubis during pregnancy. Design. Cross-sectional, descriptive study. Setting. An Australian public hospital antenatal clinic. Sample population: Women in their third trimester of pregnancy. Method. Women were recruited to the study as they presented for their antenatal appointment. A survey collected demographic data and was used to self report LPP. A pain diagram differentiated low back, pelvic girdle or combined pain. Closed and open ended questions explored the experiences of the women. Main Outcome Measures. The Visual Analogue Scale and the Oswestry Disability Index (Version 2.1a). Results. There was a high prevalence of self reported LPP during the pregnancy (71%). An association was found between the reporting of LPP, multiparity, and a previous history of LPP. The mean intensity score for usual pain was 6/10 and four out of five women reported disability associated with the condition. Most women (71%) had reported their symptoms to their maternity carer however only a small proportion of these women received intervention. Conclusion. LPP is a potentially significant health issue during pregnancy.

Association between kinesiologic dysfunctions, lumbar disability and lumbopelvic pain in pregnancy

“…Previous reports (5,8) have shown that the presence of pain before pregnancy is a potential risk factor and, conversely, the practice of physical activity is a preventive factor (4). However, corroborating our findings, previous studies (3,6) found no association with previous physical activity or during pregnancy, but found a strong association with a previous history of pain.…”

“…In our study, the majority (63.3%) of the pregnant women reported experiencing this pain daily, being graded to 50% of them as high intensity and moderate to severe low back disability to 56.9% of the sample. Characteristics of gestational low back pain may vary throughout pregnancy, and even in the same pregnancy from one pregnancy to another, because it is assumed to depend on the balance between perceived pain, limitation, and individual ability to seek coping strategies (6). Another study (8) stated that 73% of the pregnant women reported low back pain, most of them felt as a spike, with daily frequency, duration of at least one hour and average intensity around seven.…”

“…Its diagnosis should be based on the use of different clinical tests, including: Posterior Pelvic Pain Provocation test, Gaenslens test and ASLR (13,20,21). As well as the PPPP test (6,31) has high sensitivity and specificity for posterior pelvic pain, the lumbar pain provocation test can be used in the diagnosis of gestational low back pain (11, 18). Our study revealed that posterior pelvic pain was less frequent (23.4%) followed by low back pain (36.6%), most of which were combined (40%).…”

“…Among these discomforts, lumbopelvic pain has received much attention in the last years by the scientific community (3,4,5,6,7). It is estimated that lumbopelvic pain affects one in two pregnant women, causing great concern (8).…”

“…While they were waiting their consultation with an obstetrician and/or physiotherapist in the Health Center, they were invited to participate in the study individually and after explanation about that, they signed written consent. pain in pregnancy has a multifactorial etiology and is related to physiological factors, biomechanics, vascular, psychological and hormonal (6). By involving the combination of several factors, this painful condition…”