Due to the amazing changes to a woman’s body to allow it to carry and delivery a baby, many women experience back pain during pregnancy and intense back pain during delivery, which is called back labor. Some consider back labor to be the most severe aspect of labor pain.1 Chiropractic care has been shown to substantially reduce both back pain during pregnancy and back labor.
A study of 400 pregnancies found that 71.7% of women who had back pain during pregnancy also suffered with back labor. In comparison, only 24.8% of women without back pain during pregnancy had back labor.2 This was a highly significant association, so the researchers wanted to know if chiropractic adjustments to those with back pain during their pregnancy would reduce the number of them that would suffer with back labor. So the larger group with back pain during pregnancy was then divided into one group that received chiropractic adjustments during their pregnancy and another group that did not. In the adjusted group a huge 84% reported relief of their back pain during their pregnancy. That alone would be reason enough for a pregnant woman with back pain to seek chiropractic care. But in addition only 28% of them had back labor. In contrast, 79.3% of the second group, which did not receive adjustments, suffered with back labor.3 Once again this a highly significant difference and an even stronger reason to seek chiropractic care if you experience back pain during pregnancy.

Another interesting study found that women who received chiropractic care from at least the tenth week of pregnancy on through delivery had shorter labor times than national averages. First time mothers had 24% shorter labor while those who had previously borne children had 39% shorter labor.4 That study also indicated that the women reported less back pain as a result of their chiropractic care ranging from 25% to 100%.5

It is also important to note that chiropractic care for pregnant women is extremely safe for both mother and child. In the first study above, none of the women reported any adverse effects from their care.6 Another author searched all the indexed literature and found no reports, not even one, of adverse incidents or accidents due to the chiropractic care of pregnant women.7 In contrast, that same author writes: “The risks to the mother and unborn child for the use of medications during pregnancy and labor are well-documented.”8 Pain medications affect both the baby and the mother, whether over-the-counter-medications taken during pregnancy or the stronger narcotic medications given during labor and delivery. Certainly women would be less likely to take pain medications during pregnancy if their back pain can be reduced, and even more important, if labor is shorter and far less painful, women would need less of the stronger pain medications. So chiropractic care is not only safe for expecting mothers, it likely lowers risks associated with medications.

If you experience back pain during pregnancy we want to help. Just call us.

1 P. Diakow, et al., “Back Pain During Pregnancy and Labor,” February 1991, Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, Vol. 14, No. 2, p. 116.
2 Ibid., p. 117
3 Ibid.
4 J. Fallon, “The Effect of Chiropractic Treatment on Pregnancy and Labor: A Comprehensive Study,” Abstract of the Proceedings of the 1991World Federation of Chiropractic, Nov./Dec. 1992, Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, Vol. 15, No. 9, p. 614.
5 Ibid.
6 P. Diakow, Op. Cit., p. 118.
7 S. Troyanovich, “Pregnancy and the Chiropractic Advantage,” Nov./Dec. 1992, Today’s Chiropractic, Vol. 21, No. 6, p. 47.
8 Ibid.

A recent study shows that women who suffer with premenstrual syndrome (PMS) have more spinal dysfunctions or symptoms of spinal problems, than women who do not suffer with PMS.

The authors think chiropractic adjustments (also called spinal manipulation) could help and conclude “This is suggestive that spinal dysfunction could be a causative factor in PMS and that chiropractic manipulative therapy may offer an alternative therapeutic approach for PMS sufferers.”1

It is estimated that 95% of women of reproductive age experience some form of PMS, with 10 to 20 percent suffering with severe or disabling symptoms.2 There have been some 150 symptoms identified for PMS and they include physical symptoms like abdominal cramping, breast tenderness, low back pain, headache, and general joint pain. In addition there are psychological symptoms like irritability, mood changes, anger, and depression, as well as behavioral changes like food craving, insomnia, or loss of interest in sex. The authors point out that major treatments have been found ineffective in general compared to a placebo or have unwanted side effects. In contrast there are a number of published case studies where chiropractic care was effective.3 Despite this, no rigorous clinical trials of chiropractic care for PMS had been conducted so this study was begun.

As the first part of this randomized clinical trial, the authors measured the number of symptoms or problems with the way the spine functions in a group of women carefully diagnosed as having PMS. They compared this with a control group of similar women without PMS symptoms. They tested nine different physical aspects of spinal function. There were three other comparisons including any history of spinal problems over the prior two years and two questionnaires about disability; one related to low back pain and the other related to neck pain.

The PMS group had a higher percentage of positive findings for each of the 12 tests or comparisons, except for one, which was range of motion for the low back. In six of these tests, the differences were large, meeting what scientists call statistical significance.4 This included the disability questionnaire for neck pain, and the five tests listed below. (The figures are rounded to even numbers.)

So women who suffer with PMS appear to have far more spinal problems, which we would expect to respond to chiropractic care. Accordingly the second half of this study divided the women with PMS into two groups to compare actual chiropractic care against sham or fake chiropractic care, which is called a placebo. Both groups monitored their symptoms on a daily basis for two menstrual cycles to establish a baseline prior to any treatment. Both the number of symptoms and their severity counted toward the total symptom score. Once the baseline was established, group one received chiropractic care during the 10-days prior to menses for three monthly cycles. They then skipped a month, and received sham adjustments for another three cycles. Group two received the opposite, with the sham adjustments in the first three cycles and the real chiropractic care in the last three cycles. For both groups there was a significant decrease in the symptom score in the treatment phase compared with both the baseline and the sham treatment phases.5

In the first group, symptoms were reduced 32.5% by chiropractic care compared to the baseline and then went back up 17% in the sham phase. In group two symptoms decreased in the sham phase by 24% and then decreased further by another 24.4% with chiropractic care.6 The fact that in group two the sham adjustments helped shows that a placebo can indeed have some effect yet it made the following 24.4% reduction in symptoms from chiropractic care less than statistically significant. Nonetheless, the overall reduction in symptoms for group two was 42.9%. Even if part of that is placebo effect (just the belief that the chiropractic doctor will help) and the other part from the actual spinal adjustments, in real life, both parts work together. And of course the improvements for group one under chiropractic care were significant leading the authors to conclude, “the results support the hypothesis that the symptoms associated with

PMS can generally be reduced by chiropractic (care)”.7
For any woman suffering with PMS any improvement is surely welcome, and this study showed improvements between 32 and 42 percent could be expected with chiropractic care. That can go along way toward making life a lot better not only for the woman, but also for her family, friends, and co-workers.

1. M. Walsh and B. Polus, “The Frequency of Positive Common Spinal Clinical Examination Findings in a Sample of Premenstrual Syndrome Sufferers,” May 1999, Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, Vol. 22, No. 4, p. 216.
2. Ibid.
3. Ibid.
4. Ibid. pp. 218-219.
5. M. Walsh and B. Polus, “A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial on the Efficacy of Chiropractic Therapy on Premenstrual Syndrome,” Nov./Dec. 1999, Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, Vol. 22, No. 9, p. 582.
6. Ibid., p. 585.
7. Ibid.

A recent study divided some 6,000 people into three groups: normal weight, overweight or obese, and then compared the incidence of heart failure among the groups. Compared to normal weight women, overweight women were 50% more likely to suffer heart failure. Obese men and women were nearly twice as likely (or 100% more likely) to suffer heart failure.1

They used body mass index (BMI) to classify a person. The risk of heart failure increased consistently for both men and women as the BMI increased, regardless of other risk factors like smoking, alcohol use, or age. To calculate your own BMI, multiply your weight in pounds by 703, and then divide that number twice by your height in inches. Normal is 18.5 to 25. Overweight is 25 to 30, and over 30 is considered obese.

Now there may be some exceptions to the rule. For instance some people with a lot of dense muscle, like body builders and others who work out a lot, may find themselves in the overweight category despite being quite healthy. Because of this, another study of some 10,000 people, looked at those in the overweight and obese BMI categories, and also checked their waist circumference. They found that waist diameter was a better predictor than BMI for both cardiovascular disease and diabetes.2 So if you fall in the overweight or obese category and very much of your extra weight falls around the middle, it’s time to eat fewer calories and exercise more. Ask us for help getting started.

1. S. Kenchaiah, et al., “Obesity and the Risk of Heart Failure,” 2002, The New England Journal of Medicine, Vol. 347, No. 5, pp. 305-313 (as reported by “To Your Health Newsletter,” January 1, 2003, ChiroWeb.com, p.2).
2. S. Zhu, et al., “Waist Circumference and Obesity-associated Risk Factors Among Whites in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey: Clinical Action Thresholds,” 2002, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 76, pp. 743-749 (as reported by “To Your Health Newsletter,” January 28, 2003, ChiroWeb.com, p.2).