Research carried out in Sweden suggests that treating pelvic girdle pain (PGP)/symphysis pubis dysfunction (SPD) with either acupuncture or TENS, enables pregnant women to remain active. A total of 113 women with PGP between 12 and 28 weeks pregnant, were randomised to receive either 10 acupuncture sessions at two per week, or daily home-based TENS therapy for five weeks.
Despite the tendency in pregnancy for PGP disability to increase, both study groups preserved functioning and physical activity levels at follow-up, with the acupuncture group showing higher satisfaction with treatment. The authors recommend either treatment as a drug-free option for pain relief to preserve physical activity in pregnancy.
(Maintenance of physical activity level, functioning and health after non-pharmacological treatment of pelvic girdle pain with either transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation or acupuncture: a randomised controlled trial. BMJ Open, October 2021.)
Author: Robin Costello
I offer traditional Chinese acupuncture in Exeter, from a tranquil clinic a mile from the city centre, and next to the University of Exeter. I graduated originally from the London School of Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine’s 3 year full time Acupuncture Diploma (DipAc) course. I am on the practitioners register of the British Acupuncture Council (MBAcC), a regulatory and professional body with an entry standard of a full three year undergraduate degree level training.
I have worked in a hospital in south west China, deepening my knowledge and using acupuncture and Chinese massage (tuina) as the treatment of choice in its country of origin. I have taught Chinese medicine in colleges, the NHS and at university level. I also practise Qi Gong, and Chinese dietary therapy, that is the medicinal use of ordinary foods, chosen to help achieve particular therapeutic effects in different individuals.
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