Efficacy and safety of acupuncture in treating low back and pelvic girdle pain during pregnancy: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Abstract

Background: Low back and pelvic girdle pain (LBPGP) is common during pregnancy. Acupuncture is an effective and safe therapy for pain relief. However, further evidence is required to confirm the efficacy and safety of acupuncture in treating LBPGP during pregnancy. Objectives: This study aimed to systematically review and investigate the clinical efficacy and safety of acupuncture for the treatment of pregnancy-related LBPGP. Methods: The PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, CNKI, VIP, and WanFang databases were searched from January 2000 to August 2023. Only the randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving pregnant women between 16 and 34 weeks of gestation diagnosed with LBPGP were included in the study. A meta-analysis was conducted and pooled risk ratios (RRs) or mean differences (MDs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were compared. Results: Meta-analysis included 12 RCTs involving 1641 participants. Eleven trials compared acupuncture alone or acupuncture combined with standard care (SC), of which three trials also used nonpenetrating or placebo acupuncture as the control group. One trial compared acupuncture alone with nonpenetrating acupuncture. Compared with SC, acupuncture combined with SC group significantly decreased visual analog scale score (MD = −2.83, 95%CI = −3.41 to −2.26, P ＜ 0.00001), cesarean section rate (RR = 0.69, 95%CI = 0.49 to 0.97, P = 0.03), preterm birth rate (RR = 0.42, 95%CI = 0.27 to 0.65, P < 0.0001), labor duration (MD = −1.97, 95%CI = −2.73 to −1.20, P < 0.0001), and Oswestry disability index score (MD = −9.14, 95%CI = −15.68 to −2.42, P =0.008). In addition, acupuncture combined with SC significantly improved SF-PCS. No significant differences were observed in the spontaneous delivery rate, newborn weight, drowsiness, and SF-MSC between the two groups. Adverse events such as needle pain and needle bleeding were aggravated in both the SC and acupuncture treatment groups but none were associated with acupuncture during or after the treatment period. Conclusions: Meta-analysis showed that acupuncture combined with SC had better efficacy than SC alone and could be a potential therapy for LBPGP during pregnancy. The safety results imply that acupuncture caused few adverse reactions; however, more evidence is required for further confirmation.