Acupuncture a potential therapy for lower back/pelvic pain often experienced during pregnancy

Acupuncture is emerging as a potential therapy for various different types of pain, because it doesn't involve the need for drugs and is considered safe. Exactly how it might ease pain isn't clear, but is thought to involve the release of the body's innate 'happy' chemicals-endorphins-plus increases in blood flow to local skin and muscle.

But whether it can ease the debilitating low back and/or pelvic pain experienced by up to 90% of women during their pregnancy remains hotly contested.

A pooled data analysis of the available evidence, published in the open access journal BMJ Open found that acupuncture can significantly relieve the lower back and/or pelvic pain frequently experienced by women during their pregnancy.

And there were no observable major side effects for newborns whose mums opted for the therapy, the findings indicate.

To add to the evidence base, the researchers trawled research databases for relevant clinical trials that compared the pain relief afforded to pregnant women given acupuncture, alone or when combined with other therapies, with other/no/dummy treatments, as well as the potential impact on their newborns.

The final analysis included 10 randomised controlled trials, involving 1040 women. Every study was published between 2000 and 2020, and carried out variously in Sweden, the UK, the USA, Spain and Brazil.

Pooled data analysis of the trial results for 9 studies suggested that acupuncture significantly relieved pain during pregnancy. Of those studies (4) reporting on the potential of acupuncture to restore physical function, the results showed that this was significantly improved. Quality of life was recorded in 5 studies. When the results of these were pooled, the findings suggested that acupuncture significantly improved this too. Pooled data analysis of 4 studies indicated that there was a significant difference in overall effects when acupuncture was compared with other or no interventions.

The researchers sound a note of caution about their findings, however: the number of included studies was relatively small and their quality variable. What's more, the design, methodology, outcomes, and participant characteristics differed substantially. And in 2 studies, the drop-out rate exceeded 20% among the comparison group.

Nevertheless, they conclude that acupuncture merits closer attention for its potential to ease pain at a time when it's preferable to avoid drugs because of their potential side effects for mother and baby.

Reference:

Yang J, Wang Y, Xu J, et al. Acupuncture for low back and/or pelvic pain during pregnancy: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. BMJ Open2022;12:e056878. DOI 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-056878.