Influence of Conventional Therapy in Post Natal Women with Back Pain

Abstract

Background: Post-partum period brings joy as well as pain for women. It is period after delivery till 42 days. In most of women, problems like leg pain, back pain, floppiness of abdominal muscles, edema and extremities, spinal problems, problems in breast feeding arise. Postnatal back pain including lumbosacral region, pelvic girdle and sacroiliac pain is very common presentation. Evidences show that post natal low back pain is very common. Various studies show that in first year after delivery it ranges from 21% to 82%. It also has on and off period. Re-occurrence of pain is seen in first 6 months. In caesarean section, 51% of women noticed pain back by 1 month and 78% by 6 months. In vaginal delivery it reoccurred in 55% women at 1 month and 85% in 6th month. Conventional physiotherapy interventions are worldwide accepted one and practiced on large scales in various circumstances. Conventional approaches for back pain which includes core muscle exercises, yogic postures, walks, runs, hydrotherapy exercises and cardiorespiratory fitness training. Role of physiotherapy for women’s health is an upcoming area in developing country like India. It needs to be evaluated in both rural and urban set ups. Method: 494 subjects fulfilling inclusion and exclusion criteria were included. Conventional training was given for 6 weeks. Outcome measures used were focusing on Pain (Visual Analogue Scale), Range of motion (Modified Schober Test), abdominal muscle strength (Manual Muscle Testing) and quality of life (Oswestry Low Back Disability). Result: Student t-test was used for statistical analysis. The results showed significant changes in all the outcome measures but was time consuming lacked in establishing confirm evidences. Conclusion: Conventional therapy reduced back pain and improved quality of life but was time constrained. Further evaluation needs to be done for better results.