Back Pain in Relation to Pregnancy

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Abstract
A prospective randomized controlled 6-year follow-up study of women with back pain during pregnancy. To describe the long-term development of back pain in relation to pregnancy and to identify the effects of a physiotherapy and patient education program attended during pregnancy. Pain incidence and intensity during pregnancy can be reduced by physiotherapy. No study has described the development of pain experienced for a period of years after delivery or the long-term effect of physiotherapy. Pregnant women, registered consecutively, were randomly assigned to one control group and to two intervention groups and were observed throughout pregnancy, with follow-up after 3 months and 6 years. The first phase of the study was completed by 362 women. After 3 months, 351 and after 6 years, 303 women had been observed. Back pain among 18% of all women before pregnancy and among 71% during pregnancy declined to 16% after 6 years. Pain intensity was highest in Week 36 (visual analog score, 5.4) and declined markedly 6 years later (visual analog score, 2.5). Slow regression of pain after partus correlated with having a back pain history before pregnancy, (r = 0.30; P Conclusions. Back pain during pregnancy regressed spontaneously soon after delivery and improved in few women later than 6 months post partum. Expected correlations between back pain in relation to pregnancy and back pain 6 years later were not present in the intervention groups who had attended a physiotherapy and education program during pregnancy. The program had no prophylactic effects on women without back or pelvic pain during pregnancy.