The influence of physical activity and massage on low back pain in pregnat women

The purpose of this research was to compare if massage combination with physical activity is more effective than physical activity alone in treatment of pregnant women with low back pain.
Material and methods : The subject were 85 pregnant women aged 21–41 suffering from low back pain. All the subjects attended prenatal activity to Pregnant Schools and Leisure Centers in various parts of Poland. Additionally one group of the subject was treated with therapeutic massage. All women were asked to fill in questionnaire consisting of 33 questions.
Results: The physical exercises resulted in a significant pain reduction during the exercises or immediately afterwards. The decrease in the intensity of pain sensation after the low back massage suggests that the combined treatment is more effective than the exercises alone (20.1% more subjects felt pain relief as a result of the combined treatment). The duration of pain relief as a results of physical activity was similar in both groups. The massage treatment prolong that period by 16.8%. Moreover, 10.4% of the subjects felt much better mentally. All the subjects (100%) report a feeling of relaxation after massage, whereas in case of physical activity the figure was 87%.
Conclusions : Physical activity and massage used in the treatment of pregnant women are more effective in pain reduction, the duration of its remission and improvement of mental condition in comparison with the results of physical exercises alone. Moreover, massage gave the subjects a feeling of relaxation.