Objective: To observe the effect on postpartum pelvic girdle pain treated with the combined therapy of pelvic-sacral tendon-regulation needling technique of acupuncture and manipulative reduction and the simple manipulative therapy.
Methods: A total of 80 patients with postpartum pelvic girdle pain were randomized into an observation group and a control group, 40 cases in each one. In the control group, the manipulative reduction was simply adopted. In the observation group, on the base of the treatment as the control group, the pelvic-sacral tendon-regulation needling technique of acupuncture was applied at Mingmen (GV 4), Dachangshu (BL 25), Yaoyangguan (GV 3), Ciliao (BL 32), Zhongliao (BL 33), Huantiao (GB 30) and Yanglingquan (GB 34). In either group, the treatment was given once every two days, three times a week and 3 treatments taken as one course. Totally, 3 courses of treatment were required. The clinical therapeutic effect was compared in the patients between the two groups. The changes in the scores of the pain visual analogue scale (VAS), Oswestry dysfunction index (ODI) and Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA), as well as the pelvic floor distress inventory-short form 20 (PFDI-20), the pelvic floor impact questionnaire (PFIQ-7) and the sex life index (the frequency of intercourse and orgasm) were recorded in the patients of the two groups before and after treatment.
Results: The total effective rate was 95.0% (38/40) in the observation group, higher than 77.5% (31/40) in the control group (P<0.01). After treatment, the scores of VAS, ODI, PFDI-20 and PFIQ-7 were lower than those before treatment respectively in the patients of the two groups (P<0.01). JOA score and the sex life index were increased after treatment as compared with those before treatment in the two groups (P<0.01). The difference value of each of the above indexes in the observation group was higher than the control group (P<0.01).
Conclusion: The combined therapy of pelvic-sacral tendon-regulation needling technique of acupuncture and manipulative reduction effectively alleviates pain and improves the muscle strength of pelvic floor muscle fibers in the patients with postpartum pelvic girdle pain. Its therapeutic effect is better than that of the simple manipulative therapy.
Keywords: acupuncture; manipulative reduction; pelvic-sacral tendon-regulating needling technique; postpartum pelvic girdle pain (PPGP); randomized controlled trial (RCT).