Why And How Pregnant Women Seek Chiropractic Care

A study published in the December 2010 issue of the Journal of Clinical Chiropractic Pediatrics looked at the prevalence and reasons pregnant women sought chiropractic care. The survey study was conducted in Oslo Norway and approved by the Anglo-European College of Chiropractic, in Bournemouth, United Kingdom.

pregnantIn this study, a survey was conducted of the first 100 pregnant women who presented for chiropractic care at a clinic in Oslo. Data for the study was collected over a 16 month period and data from the women was only included during their pregnancy. Pregnant women were only included in this study if they spoke Norwegian and remained under chiropractic care for more than one visit.

The results of the study showed that the median age of pregnant women who came in for chiropractic care was 32.5 years with the youngest being 25 and the oldest being 42. About half of the women (47%) were in their first pregnancy, while the other half (49%) were in their second pregnancy, and only a small number (4%) were in their third. According to the study, 32% of the women had never received any care for any musculoskeletal problems in the health care system regardless of pregnancy status. Additionally, 38% had been to a chiropractor before, either before they were pregnant, or in a previous pregnancy.

The study also showed that 44% of the women had been referred for chiropractic care by a family member or a friend. However, what was interesting is that 48% were referred for chiropractic care by another health care professional. Of this 48%, the referral breakdown showed that 23% received advice from their midwife, 15% from their medical doctor, and 10% from a physiotherapist. One interesting statistic from this study was that almost one-third of the women sought chiropractic care as their first method of care for their problems during pregnancy.

When looking at the reasons why the women sought chiropractic care, the researchers found that for 90% of the women, the main reason they came for care was pelvic pain. Researchers also noted that 60% of the women also suffered from back pain. Additionally 29% of the women had neck pain, 15% suffered from headaches and 2% had migraines.

The study also looked at how long the women waited with their pain before deciding to start chiropractic care. The results showed that the longer they waited, the greater the number of problems they experienced and therefore an increased amount of care was needed to help them. One of the patients expressed their feelings about waiting too long and their quote was included in the study. This patient said, “Why didn’t anyone refer me here earlier? It is just by chance I ended up here in this office. Had I known what I now know, I would have come much earlier.”