Comments about “European guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of pelvic girdle pain”

Abstract

Listen

Translate article

This publication was developed within the frame work of Cost Action B113 ‘‘low back pain: guidelines for its management’’ issued by the European Commission, Research Directorate-general, Department of Policy, Coordination and Strategy. The method is an evidence based systematic review where studies were accepted according to a review system. If no studies were accepted or found, the recommendations are based on expert consensus opinion from the authors. A total of 155 of 202 studies were accepted for this review and 23 clinically related recommendations are given. It is commendable to undertake such review; it is time consuming, difficult and important and of course various professional and non-professional groups will critique it. However, this kind of review leads to more research, debates and usually reforms and advances clinical care both diagnostics and treatments. The authors have made a musculoskeletal definition of pelvic girdle pain (PGP) and functional definition of joint stability. The definition of musculoskeletal PGP is good and should be used. However, the definition of functional stability of joint is less useful. The authors propose optimal stability and non-optimal stability with no indication of what that means for the pelvic girdle. The definition is very general and does little to enhance clinical diagnostics of care or treatment, with such an effort done it would have enhanced the review with a more specific definition.