Muscle relaxation and nerve stimulation helps relieve low back pain during pregnancy: Study

Written By : Medha Baranwal |Medically Reviewed By : Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli Published On 2021-02-19T15:00:55+05:30 | Updated On 19 Feb 2021 2:53 PM IST

Australia: Kinesio Taping and progressive muscle relaxation therapy may help to decrease pain in pregnant women with low back pain (LBP), suggests a recent study in the journal Physical Therapy. Further, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation was found to be beneficial for improving physical function.

More than 50% of the pregnant women experience pregnancy related LBP that affects daily life activities. Although many intervention have been proposed, the optimal treatment for the condition remains unclear. The purpose of this study by Lingxiao Chen, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia, and colleagues was to compare conservative care strategies on their safety and efficacy for women with pregnancy-related LBP through systematic review with pairwise meta-analysis and network meta-analysis.

The researchers searched the online databases from inception to November 2019. Randomized controlled trials and observational controlled studies were included without restriction to language, sample size, or duration of follow-up. Two independent investigators extracted the data and assessed the risk of bias. The quality of evidence was evaluated through Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE).

In total twenty-three studies were included in the qualitative synthesis (18 randomized controlled trials were included in the network meta-analysis).

Key findings of the study include:

For women with LBP during pregnancy, progressive muscle relaxation therapy (mean difference = −3.96; moderate-quality evidence) and Kinesio Taping (mean difference = −3.71; low-quality evidence) reduced pain intensity (Visual Analog Scale, range = 0–10) compared with placebo.
Moderate-quality evidence suggested that transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation improved physical function (mean difference = −6.33; Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire, range = 0–24) compared with placebo.

"Our findings demonstrate that for patients with LBP during pregnancy, progressive muscle relaxation therapy and Kinesio Taping may help to decrease pain, and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation may improve physical function," wrote the authors.

"This review helps fill the gap in evidence regarding optimal treatment for pregnancy-related LBP," concluded the authors.

"Comparative Efficacy and Safety of Conservative Care for Pregnancy-Related Low Back Pain: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-analysis," is published in the journal Physical Therapy.

DOI: https://academic.oup.com/ptj/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/ptj/pzaa200/5991225

Physical Therapylow back painpregnancy

Source : journal Physical Therapy

Medha Baranwal

MSc. Biotechnology

Medha Baranwal joined Medical Dialogues as an Editor in 2018 for Speciality Medical Dialogues. She covers several medical specialties including Cardiac Sciences, Dentistry, Diabetes and Endo, Diagnostics, ENT, Gastroenterology, Neurosciences, and Radiology. She has completed her Bachelors in Biomedical Sciences from DU and then pursued Masters in Biotechnology from Amity University. She has a working experience of 5 years in the field of medical research writing, scientific writing, content writing, and content management. She can be contacted at editorial@medicaldialogues.in. Contact no. 011-43720751

Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli

Dr Kamal Kant Kohli-MBBS, DTCD- a chest specialist with more than 30 years of practice and a flair for writing clinical articles, Dr Kamal Kant Kohli joined Medical Dialogues as a Chief Editor of Medical News. Besides writing articles, as an editor, he proofreads and verifies all the medical content published on Medical Dialogues including those coming from journals, studies,medical conferences,guidelines etc. Email: drkohli@medicaldialogues.in. Contact no. 011-43720751