title: A systematic review investigating the effectiveness of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) for the management of low back and/or pelvic pain (LBPP) in pregnancy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate and summarize the current evidence on the effectiveness of complementary and alternative medicine for the management of low back pain and/or pelvic pain in pregnancy.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  International research demonstrates that 25-30% of women use complementary and alternative medicine to manage low back and pelvic pain in pregnancy without robust evidence demonstrating its effectiveness.
  
  
  METHODS
  A systematic review of randomized controlled trials to determine the effectiveness of complementary and alternative medicine for low back and/or pelvic pain in pregnancy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cochrane library (1898-2013), PubMed (1996-2013), MEDLINE (1946-2013), AMED (1985-2013), Embase (1974-2013), Cinahl (1937-2013), Index to Thesis (1716-2013) and Ethos (1914-2013).
  
  
  METHODS
  Selected studies were written in English, randomized controlled trials, a group 1 or 2 therapy and reported pain reduction as an outcome measure. Study quality was reviewed using Risk of Bias and evidence strength the Cochrane Grading of Recommendations and Development Evaluation Tool.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Eight studies were selected for full review. Two acupuncture studies with low risk of bias showed both clinically important changes and statistically significant results. There was evidence of effectiveness for osteopathy and chiropractic. However, osteopathy and chiropractic studies scored high for risk of bias. Strength of the evidence across studies was very low.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is limited evidence supporting the use of general CAM for managing pregnancy-related low back and/or pelvic pain. However, the restricted availability of high-quality studies, combined with the very low evidence strength, makes it impossible to make evidence-based recommendations for practice.
authors.affiliation: University of Ulster, Jordanstown, UK.
authors.forename: Ciara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Close
authors.forename: Marlene
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sinclair
authors.forename: S Dianne
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Liddle
authors.forename: Elaine
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Madden
authors.forename: Julie E M
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: McCullough
authors.forename: Ciara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hughes
mesh_terms: D000529:Complementary Therapies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*; D017699:Pelvic Pain / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000628:therapy*; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
keywords: complementary and alternative medicine; healthcare professionals; low back pain; midwifery pregnancy; nursing; pelvic pain; systematic literature review