Pregnancy, Back Pain and Chiropractic Care: What Does the Research Say?
If you're pregnant and dealing with back pain or pelvic pain, you're far from alone. Research suggests that up to 75% of pregnant women experience back or pelvic pain at some point during pregnancy. If you're feeling it, it's worth knowing you're not the only one.
Can chiropractic care help with back pain during pregnancy?
This is a fair question, and an honest one deserves an honest answer: when it comes to chiropractic care for pregnancy-related back pain, the research is still developing. There isn't enough high-quality evidence to say definitively that chiropractic care will help every pregnant woman.
Chiropractors can assess musculoskeletal concerns and discuss care options based on an individual's circumstances. No two pregnancies are the same, and care should be tailored to the person in front of you.
Some research has explored chiropractic care during pregnancy, including women's experiences and reported changes in pain and wellbeing. However, the evidence has limitations, and the potential benefits and risks should be discussed with an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
What does the research show?
One frequently cited study followed 115 pregnant women in Switzerland who sought chiropractic care for low back pain. Many participants reported improvements during the course of care, with some noticing changes within the first week and further improvements over the following month. Overall, participants reported positive changes in their symptoms and satisfaction with care.
It's important to understand what a study like this can and can't tell us. Without a comparison group, researchers cannot determine how much of the reported improvement was due to chiropractic care itself, other factors, or the natural course of pregnancy-related pain.
The findings offer insight into the experiences of this group of women, but they don't establish that the same results will occur for everyone. More robust research is needed to better understand the effects of chiropractic care on pregnancy-related back pain.
Could chiropractic care play a role around labour and delivery?
This is an area researchers are still exploring, and it's one where we want to be particularly careful not to overstate the evidence.
Your pelvic floor muscles play an important role during labour. Their ability to relax and contract at appropriate times is part of the complex process of birth. Some early research has investigated whether chiropractic adjustments may influence pelvic floor muscle function. One small study found changes in pelvic floor muscle activity following chiropractic care.
However, findings like these do not establish that chiropractic care improves labour outcomes. The researchers themselves were cautious about what the results might mean for childbirth, and we'd encourage the same caution: it's an interesting area of research, not a settled conclusion.
Some studies have also reported differences in average labour duration among women receiving chiropractic care during pregnancy. These findings should be interpreted carefully, as they do not guarantee a particular labour duration or birth experience. Larger, higher-quality studies are needed before firm conclusions can be drawn.
Where does this leave you?
If you're navigating pregnancy-related back pain or pelvic discomfort, or you're curious about whether chiropractic care may be appropriate during pregnancy, it's worth discussing your options with your healthcare team.
Your GP, obstetrician or midwife can help you understand your individual circumstances and guide you on suitable care. Chiropractic care, where appropriate, may be considered alongside your existing pregnancy care, not as a replacement for it.
Every pregnancy is different, and what is appropriate for one person may not be right for another. At Capital Chiropractic Centre in Braddon, Canberra, we're happy to explain what chiropractic care involves, discuss what the evidence does and doesn't show, and help you consider your options without pressure or promises we can't keep.
This information is provided for general educational purposes only and is not a substitute for individual healthcare advice. Discuss pregnancy-related symptoms and treatment decisions with your GP, obstetrician or midwife.
References
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Borggren CL. Pregnancy and Chiropractic: A Narrative Review of the Literature. Journal of Chiropractic Medicine. 2007;6(2):70–74.
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