An exercise method for the treatment of lumbar and posterior pelvic pain in pregnancy

Purpose: to evaluate the effectiveness of the "global active stretching" (GAS) method and the routine medical recommendations for lumbar and/or posterior pelvic pain in pregnancy. Methods: sixty-nine pregnant women who experienced lumbar or posterior pelvic pain were selected and identified through a randomized controlled clinical trial and were randomly divided into two groups. One group practiced GAS-oriented exercises and the other followed the routine medical recommendations. The pregnant women were followed up for eight weeks. The severity of pain was estimated by the visual analog scale and posterior pelvic pain and lumbar back pain were confirmed by provocation tests. Results: after treatment, 61% (p<0.01) of the women of the GAS group reported no pain at the lumbar/or posterior pelvic area compared with 11% (p=0.50) of the group who followed routine medical recommendations. Conclusion: the GAS method relieved and diminished the intensity of lumbar and/or pelvic pains more effectively than routine medical recommendations.