Pelvic girdle pain – part 1: quantitative results from a mixed-methods service evaluation introducing a manual therapy treatment approach to usual care.

Pelvic girdle pain (PGP) is a musculoskeletal condition that affects 20% of pregnant women. Physiotherapists in the UK routinely treat PGP using a variety of approaches, including advice, stability exercises, pelvic belts, stretches and manual therapy. At Sheffield Teaching Hospitals National Health Service (NHS) Foundation Trust, Sheffield, UK, manual therapy techniques were not routinely used as part of usual care for antenatal women with PGP, despite a body of literature to support the efficacy of these methods. The aim of this service evaluation was to establish whether a newly introduced manual therapy treatment approach added to usual care improved patient-reported outcome measures in women with PGP, as compared to usual care alone. Forty-six patients completed the Pelvic Girdle Questionnaire (PGQ) at baseline and 6 weeks after assessment: 24 women received usual care alone; and 22 received a manual therapy treatment approach as an adjunct to usual care. Data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Although no significant differences were observed between the usual care and manual therapy groups, a significant difference was observed between the PGQ scores at baseline and 6 weeks in the manual therapy group. Clinically, these results may indicate that treatment with manual therapy will improve women’s outcomes. Overall, the participants reported reduced pain and improved function after receiving a manual therapy treatment approach alongside usual care.