McIntyre I N, Broadhurst N A
Queen Elizabeth Hospital, South Australia.
Aust Fam Physician. 1996 Sep;25(9 Suppl 2):S65-7.
To assess the possible cause of low back pain in pregnancy and develop a management program.
All women attending a rural general practice for antenatal care were asked about back pain. They were tested for pain of lumbar and sacroiliac origin and if positive were treated with mobilising technique and home exercise.
Of the 20 patients identified as having low back pain, the iliolumbar ligament was identified in three while the sacroiliac joint was suggestive in the remainder. After three visits 15 had no pain and the rest had more than a 50% improvement in their pain.
Low back pain in pregnancy is likely to be due to sacroiliac dysfunction which can be significantly improved with mobilisation.
