Acupuncture Helps Alleviate Back/Pelvic Pain During Pregnancy

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 23, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Acupuncture significantly improves pain, functional status, and quality of life in women with low back and/or pelvic pain during pregnancy, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis published online Nov. 21 in BMJ Open.

Jiaman Yang, from The Fifth Clinical College of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine in China, and colleagues conducted a systematic literature review to identify studies investigating the effects of acupuncture on pain, functional status, and quality of life for women with low back and/or pelvic pain during pregnancy.

Based on 10 included studies (1,040 women), the researchers found that overall, acupuncture significantly relieved pain during pregnancy and improved functional status and quality of life. Acupuncture was not associated with a significant difference for analgesic consumption during the study period (odds ratio, 2.49; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.08 to 80.25; P = 0.61) or Apgar scores of newborns (odds ratio, 1.02; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.37 to 2.83; P = 0.97). Two of the 10 studies reported preterm birth from acupuncture and two studies reported preterm contractions, but all infants were in good health at birth.

"Acupuncture significantly improved pain, functional status, and quality of life in women with low back and/or pelvic pain during the pregnancy. Additionally, acupuncture had no observable severe adverse influences on the newborns," the authors write. "More large-scale and well-designed randomized controlled trials are still needed to further confirm these results."

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