Complementary and alternative medicine for low-back pain in pregnancy: a cross-sectional survey.

OBJECTIVE: To identify common treatments used for low-back pain (LBP) during pregnancy.

DESIGN: A two-part anonymous survey.

SETTING/LOCATION: New Haven, Connecticut.

SUBJECTS: Pregnant women and providers of prenatal health care (nurse educators, nurse midwives, and obstetricians).

RESULTS: We found that the majority of pregnant women who participated in our survey (61.7%) reported that they would accept complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapy as treatment for LBP during pregnancy. Similarly, 61% of providers of prenatal health care in our sample reported that they would consider using CAM as treatment for LBP during pregnancy. Massage (61.4%), acupuncture (44.6%), relaxation (42.6%), yoga (40.6%), and chiropractic (36.6%) were the most common CAM therapies recommended for LBP in pregnancy by the providers of prenatal health care in our sample.

CONCLUSIONS: This two-part survey study found that both providers of prenatal health care and pregnant women in New Haven county are likely to use CAM treatments for pregnancy-induced LBP. Further investigation should focus on whether it is a nationwide phenomenon, as well as if various CAM therapies are an efficacious treatment for LBP during pregnancy.