Over half of women after giving birth have low back pain (LBP), however, LBP is often accepted as a normal part of postpartum. Unsolved low back pain undoubtedly affects women's physical health and may be negatively affect their psychological health. This study was aimed to investigate the efficacy of laser acupuncture therapy (LAT) in postpartum LBP. Postpartum women with LBP admitted at a postpartum care center were recruited and randomly assigned to the intervention group or the control group. The participants in the intervention group underwent 10 sessions/2 weeks of LAT and received standard obstetric care. The participants in the control group only received standard obstetric care. Primary outcome measurements were Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) for pain and salivary cortisol values. Secondary outcome measurements were Chinese versions of the Roland and Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ), Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) version 2.1and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS).
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
106
Laser acupuncture therapy (LAT) is a noninvasive technique that involves stimulation of traditional acupoints with low intensity, non thermal laser irradiation.
Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital
Kaohsiung City, Taiwan
Change in visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain
record VAS score for pain before intervention and 2 weeks after intervention
Time frame: 2 weeks
Change in salivary cortisol values
record Salivary cortisol values before intervention and 2 weeks after intervention
Time frame: 2 weeks
Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ)
The RMDQ is a self-administered disability measure in which greater levels of disability are reflected by higher numbers on a 24-point scale.
Time frame: 2 weeks
Chinese version of Oswestry Disability Index (ODI)
The ODI includes 1 item on pain and 9 items on physical activity of daily living (personal care, lifting, walking, sitting, standing, sleeping, sex life, social life, and traveling). The total scores ranged from 0 to 40, higher scores indicated greater limitation of physical activities.
Time frame: 2 weeks
Perceived stress (PSS)
PSS containes 7 items with positive subscales and 7 items with negative subscales. Each item is rated from 0 to 4 (0 = never, 4 = very often).
Time frame: 2 weeks
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