Low‐back pain: any exercises + usual prenatal care versus usual prenatal care

Patient or population: pregnant women with back pain
Intervention: low‐back pain: any exercises + usual prenatal care versus usual prenatal care

Pain intensity measured by a number of different measurements; lower score = better. Follow‐up was measured between 8 and 24 weeks after randomisation across studies. Treatments varied from 5 to 20 weeks in duration.

SMD

‐0.64, 95% CI ‐1.03 to ‐0.25

645
(7 studies)

⊕⊕⊝⊝
low^1,2

A standard deviation of 0.64 lower represents a moderate difference between groups, and may be clinically relevant. However, there was considerable clinical heterogeneity amongst the participants, interventions and outcome measures.

Disability measured by Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire and Oswestry Disability Index; lower score = better. Follow‐up was measured from 5 to 12 weeks after randomisation across studies. Treatments varied from 5 to 8 weeks in duration.

SMD ‐0.56; 95% CI ‐0.89 to ‐0.23

146
(2 studies)

⊕⊕⊝⊝
low^1,3

A standard deviation of 0.56 lower represents a moderate difference between groups and may be clinically relevant.

*The basis for the assumed risk (e.g. the mean control group risk across studies) is provided in footnotes. The corresponding risk (and its 95% CI) is based on the assumed risk in the comparison group and the relative effect of the intervention (and its 95% CI).
CI: Confidence interval; SMD: standardised mean difference

GRADE Working Group grades of evidence
High quality: Further research is very unlikely to change our confidence in the estimate of effect.
Moderate quality: Further research is likely to have an important impact on our confidence in the estimate of effect and may change the estimate.
Low quality: Further research is very likely to have an important impact on our confidence in the estimate of effect and is likely to change the estimate.
Very low quality: We are very uncertain about the estimate.

Pelvic + low‐back pain: any exercises + usual prenatal care versus usual prenatal care

Patient or population: pregnant women with, or at risk of developing, pelvic and back pain
Intervention: pelvic + low‐back pain: any exercises + usual prenatal care versus usual prenatal care

Number of women who reported pain on Visual Analogue Scale. Follow‐up was measured immediately after the intervention. Treatments ran from 8 to 12 weeks in duration.

RR 0.66
(0.45 to 0.97)

1176
(4 studies)

⊕⊕⊕⊝
moderate¹

mean reduction of 34% across studies

Number of women who reported LBPP‐related sick leave. Follow‐up was measured immediately after the intervention, which ran for 12 weeks.

RR 0.76
(0.62 to 0.94)

1062

(2 studies)

⊕⊕⊕⊝
moderate²

mean reduction of 24% across studies

*The basis for the assumed risk (e.g. the median control group risk across studies) is provided in footnotes. The corresponding risk (and its 95% CI) is based on the assumed risk in the comparison group and the relative effect of the intervention (and its 95% CI).
CI: Confidence interval; RR: Risk ratio;

GRADE Working Group grades of evidence
High quality: Further research is very unlikely to change our confidence in the estimate of effect.
Moderate quality: Further research is likely to have an important impact on our confidence in the estimate of effect and may change the estimate.
Low quality: Further research is very likely to have an important impact on our confidence in the estimate of effect and is likely to change the estimate.
Very low quality: We are very uncertain about the estimate.