Pregnancy

Pregnancy can be uncomfortable for many women. As a pregnancy progresses, changes in weight, center of gravity, and hormones can lead to low back pain and sciatica. Many women are justifiably weary of taking over-the-counter medications for pain. Fortunately, chiropractic can be a safe and effective way to manage pregnancy related low back pain. As always, discuss your low back pain with your OB-GYN, you may want to share the following information:

Chiropractic Care is Desirable

Patients want to know more about chiropractic options. According to one 2006 study 85% of reported patients inquired about chiropractic and 75% patients request a chiropractic referral.

Greene B, Smith M, Allareddy V, Haas M. (2006). Referral Patterns and Attitudes of Primary Care Physicians Towards Chiropractors. BMC Complement Altern Med. 6: 5.

Chiropractic Care is Safe

A literature review of thirty-three references reported favorable results on the use of chiropractic care throughout pregnancy. Chiropractic evaluation and treatment during pregnancy may be considered a safe and effective for pregnant patients.

Borggren C. (2007). Pregnancy and Chiropractic: A Narrative Review of the Literature. J Chiropr Med. Spring; 6(2): 70–74.

Chiropractic Manual Therapy is safe. A 2007 survey of 19,722 patients and over 50,000 cervical adjustments reported 0 serious adverse events.

Thiel HW, Bolton JE, Docherty S, Portlock JC. (2007). Safety of Chiropractic Manipulation of the Cervical Spine: a Prospective National Survey. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). Oct 1;32(21):2375-8; discussion 2379.

Chiropractic Care is Effective

A prospective, RCT of 169 women was conducted. Both groups received routine obstetric care. The group receiving obstetric and chiropractic care demonstrated significant mean reductions in pain and disability questionnaire scores from baseline. The group that received only obstetric care demonstrated no significant improvements. A multimodal approach to low back and pelvic pain in mid pregnancy benefits patients more than standard care.

George JW, Skaggs CD, Thompson PA, Nelson DM, Gavard JA, Gross GA. (2013). A Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing a Multimodal Intervention and Standard Obstetrics Care for Low Back and Pelvic Pain in Pregnancy. Am J Obstet Gynecol. Apr;208(4):295.e1-7.

Standard Medical Care combined with Chiropractic Manual Therapy is more effective for low back pain than without. 73% of participants in the SMC plus CMT group rated their global improvement as pain completely gone, much better, or moderately better, compared with 17% in the SMC group.

Goertz CM, Long CR, Hondras MA, Petri R, Delgado R, Lawrence DJ, Owens EF, Meeker WC. (2013). Adding Chiropractic Manipulative Therapy to Standard Medical Care for Patients with Acute Low Back Pain: Results of a Pragmatic Randomized Comparative Effectiveness Study. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). Apr 15;38(8):627-34