Gap between the prevalence of and consultation rate for lumbopelvic pain in postnatal Japanese women

Tomoe Inoue-Hirakawa; Saki Iguchi; Daisuke Matsumoto; Yuu Kajiwara; Tomoki Aoyama; Rika Kawabe; Hideshi Sugiura; Yasushi Uchiyama

doi:10.1016/j.jos.2023.10.006

Gap between the prevalence of and consultation rate for lumbopelvic pain in postnatal Japanese women

J Orthop Sci. 2023 Nov 3:S0949-2658(23)00278-6. doi: 10.1016/j.jos.2023.10.006. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Tomoe Inoue-Hirakawa¹, Saki Iguchi², Daisuke Matsumoto³, Yuu Kajiwara³, Tomoki Aoyama⁴, Rika Kawabe⁴, Hideshi Sugiura⁵, Yasushi Uchiyama⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Integrated Health Sciences, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan. Electronic address: inoue@met.nagoya-u.ac.jp.
² Department of Integrated Health Sciences, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan; Faculty of Medicine, Oita University, Oita, Japan.
³ Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, Kio University, Koryo, Japan.
⁴ Department of Physical Therapy, Human Health Sciences, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.
⁵ Department of Integrated Health Sciences, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan.

PMID: 37926616
DOI: 10.1016/j.jos.2023.10.006

Abstract

Background: We aimed to assess the prevalence of lumbopelvic pain (LPP), including low back pain (LBP) and/or pelvic girdle pain (PGP), consultation rate, and desire for treatment of postnatal Japanese women.

Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study of 98 postnatal Japanese women within 1 year of childbirth. We retrospectively evaluated the prevalence of LBP before and during pregnancy and the prevalence of LPP after childbirth using a self-administered questionnaire. We used the distribution of pain to differentiate LBP and/or PGP after childbirth and its intensity was assessed using a visual analogue scale. The effects of LPP on daily life were assessed using the Oswestry disability index (ODI). In addition, we assessed the consultation rate for LPP and the desire to consult a healthcare professional, using self-administered questionnaires.

Results: The prevalence of LPP after childbirth was 66%. Women with a history of LBP before and during pregnancy were more likely to have LPP following childbirth (both P < 0.001). The consultation rate among the postnatal women with LPP was 9%, but 56% of the women wished to consult a healthcare professional. The ODI score was significantly higher in postnatal women who wanted to consult a healthcare professional than in those who did not (P < 0.01).

Conclusions: Two thirds of the postnatal Japanese women who participated in this study had LPP, but the consultation rate was low. However, more than half of these women had the desire to consult a healthcare professional.

Keywords: Low back pain; Pelvic girdle pain; Postpartum period; Pregnancy; Prevalence.