Treating pain in pregnancy with acupuncture : observational study results from a free clinic in New Zealand

Elizabeth Soliday, Debra Betts

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Introduction: Clinic-based acupuncturists, midwives, and physiotherapists have reported using acupuncture to treat lumbopelvic pain in pregnancy, a common condition that may affect functioning and quality of life. To contribute to the emerging evidence on treatment outcomes, we collected patient-reported pain reduction data from women treated during pregnancy in a no-pay, hospital-based acupuncture service in New Zealand. Methods: Observational study of patient-reported symptom reduction.The main outcome measure was the MYMOP (Measure Your Medical Outcome Profile), a brief, validated self-report instrument. Open-ended questions on treatment experiences and adverse events were included. Results: Of the 81 women on whom we had complete treatment data, the majority (N = 72, 89%) reported clinically meaningful symptom reduction. Patient-reported adverse events were infrequent and mild. Discussion: Patient-reported and treatment-related lumbopelvic pain symptom reduction findings provide further evidence that acupuncture in pregnancy is safe and beneficial in a field setting. We discuss this study's unique contributions in providing guidance for clinicians who practice acupuncture in pregnancy, including midwives, physiotherapists, and physicians.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)25-30
Number of pages6
JournalJAMS Journal of Acupuncture and Meridian Studies
Volume11
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2018

Open Access - Access Right Statement

© 2018 Medical Association of Pharmacopuncture Institute, Publishing services by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Keywords

  • acupuncture
  • alternative medicine
  • pain management
  • pregnancy

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