Effects of a back-pain-reducing program during pregnancy for Korean women: A non-equivalent control-group pretest–posttest study

Background Although many pregnant women experience back pain, it has not considered an important health problem. No study has investigated the effects of a back-pain-reducing program (BPRP) during pregnancy for Korean women. Objective The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of a program designed to reduce back pain in pregnant women. Methods A non-equivalent control-group pretest–posttest design was used. Pregnant women who attended an antenatal clinic and experienced back pain during their pregnancy were included in an intervention group (n=29), and their intensity of back pain, functional limitation and anxiety were compared with women in a control group from another antenatal clinic (n=27). The data were collected at three time points: prior to intervention, and 6 and 12 weeks after intervention. Results At 12 weeks after intervention, the intensity of back pain experienced by the intervention group was significantly lower than that of the control group. However, there were no statistically significant differences between the groups with respect to functional limitations and anxiety. Conclusions The findings show that the pain-reducing program developed for this study was effective in reducing the intensity of back pain experienced by pregnant women. Promoting good posture and regular exercise can be recommended as a method to relieve back pain in pregnancy women. Further studies are needed to confirm the effect of the BPRP during pregnancy.