The effects of stabilization exercise on low back pain and pelvic girdle pain in pregnant women

Abstract

Pain in the lumbar or sacroiliac region during pregnancy is common. However, it should not be considered a normal part of pregnancy. There are non-invasive approaches to treatment to effectively manage symptoms not only during pregnancy but also postpartum. A systematic review was performed to examine the effects of stabilization exercises on low back and pelvic girdle pain in pregnant women. A database search of EBSCO (CINAHL, HealthSource, MEDLINE, and PsycINFO) was conducted from September 2017 to January 2018. Our search terms included “pregnancy”, “pregnan*”, “stab* exercis*”, “back pain”, “pelvic pain”, and “pelvic floor”. The studies were reviewed for content to determine if they met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Articles were then examined for quality on a hierarchy of evidence scale and the PEDro Scale by four researchers. Twenty-three articles were included in the systematic review. Most concluded that stabilization exercises had a positive effect on low back and pelvic girdle pain in pregnant women. A few articles found no significant reduction in pain. The discrepancies may be due to differences in protocol such as administering a home exercise program, frequency of exercises, weeks of gestation, and direct supervision exercises. These factors may influence the effectiveness of stabilization exercise in this population. The effects of stabilization exercise vary based on type of pain, type of exercise, location of pain and timing of intervention. Overall, the use of stabilization exercises is beneficial in reducing low back and pelvic girdle pain in pregnant women. Further, rehabilitation during pregnancy may prevent future episodes of low back and pelvic girdle pain in subsequent pregnancies.