Chiropractic and Pregnancy

Chiropractic Spinal Manipulation for Low Back Pain of Pregnancy: A
Retrospective Case Series
Anthony J. Lisi, DC
Journal of Midwifery & Womens Health
January 2006;51:e7-10.


ABSTRACT
Low back pain is a common complaint in pregnancy, with a reported prevalence
of 57% to 69% and incidence of 61%. Although such pain can result in
significant disability, it has been shown that as few as 32% of women report
symptoms to their prenatal provider, and only 25% of providers recommend treatment.


Chiropractors sometimes manage low back pain in pregnant women; however,
scarce data exist regarding such treatment.


This retrospective case series was undertaken to describe the results of a group of pregnant women with low back pain who underwent chiropractic treatment including spinal manipulation.
Seventeen cases met all inclusion criteria. The overall group average
Numerical Rating Scale pain score decreased from 5.9 (range 2-10) at initial
presentation to 1.5 (range 0?5) at termination of care. Sixteen of 17 (94.1%) cases
demonstrated clinically important improvement. The average time to initial
clinically important pain relief was 4.5 (range 0-13) days after initial
presentation, and the average number of visits undergone up to that point was 1.8
(range 1-5).


No adverse effects were reported in any of the 17 cases. The results suggest
that chiropractic treatment was safe in these cases and support the
hypothesis that it may be effective for reducing pain intensity.