Adding Chiropractic Treatment to Individual Rehabilitation for Persistent Pelvic Girdle Pain 3 to 6 Months After Delivery: A Pilot Randomized Trial

Anne M Gausel; Ingvild Dalen; Inger Kjærmann; Stefan Malmqvist; Knut Andersen; Jan Petter Larsen; Inger Økland

doi:10.1016/j.jmpt.2018.12.006

Adding Chiropractic Treatment to Individual Rehabilitation for Persistent Pelvic Girdle Pain 3 to 6 Months After Delivery: A Pilot Randomized Trial

J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 2019 Oct;42(8):601-607. doi: 10.1016/j.jmpt.2018.12.006.

Authors

Anne M Gausel¹, Ingvild Dalen², Inger Kjærmann³, Stefan Malmqvist⁴, Knut Andersen³, Jan Petter Larsen⁵, Inger Økland⁶

Affiliations

¹ Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Stavanger University Hospital, Stavanger, Norway. Electronic address: amgausel@hotmail.com.
² Department of Research, Section of Biostatistics, Stavanger University Hospital, Stavanger, Norway.
³ Department of Research, Stavanger University Hospital, Stavanger, Norway.
⁴ The Norwegian Centre for Movement Disorders, Stavanger University Hospital, Stavanger, Norway.
⁵ Network for Medical Sciences, University of Stavanger, Stavanger, Norway.
⁶ Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Stavanger University Hospital, Stavanger, Norway.

PMID: 31864519
DOI: 10.1016/j.jmpt.2018.12.006

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the feasibility of conducting a study examining the influence of individualized rehabilitation and chiropractic treatment, compared with individualized rehabilitation alone, in women with persistent dominating 1-sided pelvic girdle pain (PGP) 3 to 6 months after delivery.

Methods: Women were recruited from an outpatient clinic at Stavanger University Hospital, Norway and in a private chiropractic clinic in Stavanger. Those with persistent, dominating 1-sided PGP were included in this pilot study. Those who met inclusion criteria were randomized into 2 groups, one group received individualized rehabilitation and chiropractic treatment and the other group women received individualized rehabilitation alone. Treatment was measured for 20 weeks.

Results: Of 330 consenting women who were recruited who reported pelvic pain during pregnancy, 68 reported PGP or low back pain, and 63 consented to fill in a questionnaire. Forty-seven women underwent a clinical examination 3 to 6 months after delivery. During the examination, the women were diagnosed into subgroups for PGP. After exclusion of the women with low back pain only, a total of 13 women were diagnosed with dominating 1-sided PGP and thus included in this study. Six were randomized to the individualized rehabilitation and chiropractic treatment group and 5 to the individualized rehabilitation alone group. After 20 weeks of intervention, both groups reported improvement in disability and pain, but not in general health status. No serious or long-lasting adverse events were registered after treatment or training.

Conclusion: We found that a study of this nature is feasible. However, the conditions of patient recruitment need to be considered carefully. We learned that a trial to investigate the effect of chiropractic treatment for PGP pain should include all subgroups of PGP to reach an acceptable sample size.

Keywords: Chiropractic; Exercise Therapy; Pelvic Girdle Pain; Postpartum Period.

Publication types

Randomized Controlled Trial

MeSH terms

Adult
Chronic Pain / therapy*
Combined Modality Therapy
Disability Evaluation
Exercise Therapy*
Female
Humans
Manipulation, Chiropractic*
Pain Measurement
Pelvic Girdle Pain / therapy*
Pilot Projects
Pregnancy
Pregnancy Complications
Puerperal Disorders / therapy