Subjective recovery from pregnancy-related pelvic girdle pain the first 6 weeks after delivery: a prospective longitudinal cohort study
Gausel, Anne Marie; Malmqvist, Nils Stefan; Andersen, Knut; Kjærmann, Inger Wigand; Larsen, Jan Petter; Dalen, Ingvild; Økland, Inger
Peer reviewed, Journal article
Published version
Date
2020Metadata
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Original version
Gausel, A. M., Malmqvist, S., Andersen, K., Kjærmann, I., Larsen, J. P., Dalen, I., & Økland, I. (2020). Subjective recovery from pregnancy-related pelvic girdle pain the first 6 weeks after delivery: a prospective longitudinal cohort study. European Spine Journal, 29, 556-563. 10.1007/s00586-020-06288-9Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to investigate the subjective recovery from pregnancy-related pelvic girdle pain (PGP) during the first 6 weeks after delivery and to detect possible risk factors for a poor recovery.
Methods
The participants were included in this study at the routine ultrasound examination at 18 weeks of pregnancy. The women received a weekly SMS with the question “How many days during the last week has your PGP been bothersome?” The SMS-track from the final 10 weeks of pregnancy and first 6 weeks after delivery were assessed and sorted, based on individual graphs. A total of 130 women who reported PGP during pregnancy and met for clinical examination 6 weeks after delivery were included in the study.
Results
In all, 83% of the women experienced substantial recovery from severe or moderate PGP within 6 weeks after delivery. Of these, 44% reported a substantial recovery already within 2 weeks after delivery. More multiparous women, women reporting PGP the year before pregnancy, and women with high pain intensity during pregnancy had a poor recovery.
Conclusions
The prognosis following PGP in pregnancy is good and the majority of women recovered substantially from severe and moderate pregnancy-related PGP within 6 weeks after delivery. For many women, a subjective substantial recovery occurred within 2 weeks after delivery. Predictors for a poor recovery were multiparity, PGP the year before pregnancy and a high pain intensity during pregnancy.