***TASK*** the task is to summarize an input biomedical literature in six sentences 
    ***INPUT*** the input is a biomedical literature 
    ***OUTPUT*** the output is the summary of an input biomedical literature in six sentences 
    ***DOCUMENTATION*** 
    ***EXAMPLES*** 
    Input: Background This pilot r and omized controlled trial evaluated the feasibility of conducting a full scale study and compared the efficacy of exercise , spinal manipulation , and a mind-body therapy called Neuro Emotional Technique for the treatment of pregnancy-related low back pain , a common morbidity of pregnancy . Methods Healthy pregnant women with low back pain of insidious onset were eligible to enroll in the study at any point in their pregnancy . Once enrolled , they remained in the study until they had their babies . Women were r and omly allocated into one of three treatment groups using opaque envelopes . The treatment schedule paralleled the prenatal care schedule and women received individualized intervention . Our null hypothesis was that spinal manipulation and Neuro Emotional Technique would perform no better than exercise in enhancing function and decreasing pain . Our primary outcome measure was the Rol and Morris Disability Question naire and our secondary outcome measure was the Numeric Pain Rating Scale . Intention to treat analysis was conducted . For the primary analysis , regression was conducted to compare groups on the outcome measure scores . In a secondary responder analysis , difference in proportions of participants in attaining 30 % and 50 % improvement were calculated . Feasibility factors for conducting a future larger trial were also evaluated such as recruitment , compliance to study protocol s , cost , and adverse events . Results Fifty-seven participants were r and omized into the exercise ( n = 22 ) , spinal manipulation ( n = 15 ) , and Neuro Emotional Technique ( n = 20 ) treatment arms . At least 50 % of participants in each treatment group experienced clinical ly meaningful improvement in symptoms for the Rol and Morris Disability Question naire . At least 50 % of the exercise and spinal manipulation participants also experienced clinical ly meaningful improvement for the Numeric Pain Rating Scale . There were no clinical ly meaningful or statistically significant differences between groups in any analysis . Conclusions This pilot study demonstrated feasibility for recruitment , compliance , safety , and affordability for conducting a larger study in the future . Spinal manipulation and exercise generally performed slightly better than did Neuro Emotional Technique for improving function and decreasing pain , but the study was not powered to detect the between-group differences as statistically significant . Trial registration Clinical Trials.gov ( Identifier : NCT00937365 ) OBJECTIVE Pregnancy-related lumbopelvic pain is a major problem for the majority of pregnant women . Complementary medicine has been used to alleviate pain , and yoga is one of the most commonly chosen alternative methods . The objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of Hatha yoga in the reduction of lumbopelvic pain in pregnancy . METHODS A r and omized controlled trial with 60 pregnant women ( age range , 14 - 40 years ) who reported lumbopelvic pain at 12 to 32 weeks of gestation was conducted from June 2009 to June 2011 . Pregnant women who had twin pregnancies , had medical restrictions for exercise , used analgesics , and participated in physical therapy were excluded from the study . Pregnant women were divided into two groups : the yoga group , practicing exercises guided by this method , and the postural orientation group , performing st and ardized posture orientation according to instructions provided in a pamphlet . Treatment in each group lasted 10 weeks . A visual analog scale ( VAS ) was used to measure pain intensity . Lumbar pain and posterior pelvic pain provocation tests were used to confirm the presence of pain . Statistical analysis included the Mann-Whitney test , the McNemar test , a paired Wilcoxon test , and analysis of covariance . RESULTS The median pain score was lower in the yoga group ( p<.0058 ) than the postural orientation group . Lumbar pain provocation tests showed a decreased response in relation to posterior pelvic pain provocation tests and a gradual reduction in pain intensity during 10 yoga sessions ( p<.024 ) . CONCLUSIONS The yoga method was more effective at reducing lumbopelvic pain intensity compared with postural orientation Background Previous publications indicate that acupuncture is efficient for the treatment of pelvic girdle pain , PGP , in pregnant women . However , the use of acupuncture for PGP is rare due to insufficient documentation of adverse effects of this treatment in this specific condition . The aim of the present work was to assess adverse effects of acupuncture on the pregnancy , mother , delivery and the fetus/neonate in comparison with women that received stabilising exercises as adjunct to st and ard treatment or st and ard treatment alone . Methods In all , 386 women with PGP entered this controlled , single-blind trial . They were r and omly assigned to st and ard treatment plus acupuncture ( n = 125 ) , st and ard treatment plus specific stabilising exercises ( n = 131 ) or to st and ard treatment alone ( n = 130 ) for 6 weeks . Acupuncture that may be considered strong was used and treatment was started as early as in the second trimester of pregnancy . Adverse effects were recorded during treatment and throughout the pregnancy . Influence on the fetus was measured with cardiotocography ( CTG ) before-during and after 43 acupuncture sessions in 43 women . A st and ardised computerized method to analyze the CTG reading numerically ( Oxford 8000 , Oxford , Engl and ) was used . After treatment , the women rated their overall experience of the treatment and listed adverse events if any in a question naire . Data of  analgesia and oxytocin augmentation during labour , duration of labour , frequency of preterm birth , operative delivery , Apgar score , cord-blood gas/acid base balance and birth weight were also recorded . Results There were no serious adverse events after any of the treatments . Minor adverse events were common in the acupuncture group but women rated acupuncture favourably even despite this . The computerized or visually assessed CTG analyses of antenatal recordings in connection with acupuncture were all normal . Conclusion This study shows that acupuncture administered with a stimulation that may be considered strong led to minor adverse complaints from the mothers but had no observable severe adverse influences on the pregnancy , mother , delivery or the fetus/neonate Background : To compare the efficiency of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation ( TENS ) with those of exercise and acetaminophen for the treatment of pregnancy-related low back pain ( LBP ) during the third trimester of pregnancy . Methods : This prospect i ve study included 79 subjects ( ≥32 gestational weeks ) with visual analog scale ( VAS ) pain scores ≥5 . Participants were divided r and omly into a control group ( n = 21 ) and three treatment groups [ exercise ( n = 19 ) ; acetaminophen ( n = 19 ) ; TENS ( n = 20 ) ] . The VAS and the Rol and -Morris disability question naire ( RMDQ ) were completed before and 3 weeks after treatment to assess the impact of pain on daily activities . Results : During the study period , pain intensity increased in 57 % of participants in the control group , whereas pain decreased in 95 % of participants in the exercise group and in all participants in the acetaminophen and TENS groups . Post-treatment VAS and RMDQ values were significantly lower in the treatment groups ( p < 0.001 ) . VAS and RMDQ scores indicated a significantly greater degree of pain relief in the TENS group than in the exercise and acetaminophen groups ( p < 0.001 ) . No adverse effect  of TENS application on pregnant women was observed during the study . Conclusion : TENS is an effective and safe treatment modality for LBP during pregnancy . TENS improved LBP more effectively than did exercise and acetaminophen Background . Low back and pelvic pain is common in pregnancy and postpartum , but there is no well documented effect of treatment in pregnancy . The aim of the study was to assess whether a group intervention program for pregnant women with pelvic girdle pain has any effect on pain and daily function postpartum . Methods . Pregnant women with pelvic pain between the 18th and 32nd week of gestation were invited to participate in a r and omized clinical study . Among 958 examined women , 569 ( 59 % ) fulfilled the inclusion criteria . Women r and omized to the intervention group ( n = 275 ) participated in an education program that consisted of information , ergonomics , exercises , pain management , advice for daily life movement , pelvic belt/crutches , and information about delivery . Women r and omized to the control group ( n = 285 ) were not offered any treatment , but were free to seek advice or other treatment . Clinical measures and self‐evaluated utility of the intervention were measured by a visual analogue scale 0–10 . Results . Mean debut of pelvic girdle pain in pregnancy was at week 15 . Altogether 42 % of the women reported problems with low back pain earlier , and 34 % reported a family history of pelvic girdle pain in pregnancy . Median visual analogue scale score for all activities at inclusion was 6 both in the control group and the intervention group . At 6 and 12 months postpartum the score was reduced to 1.7/1.6 and 1.1/0.9 . In the intervention group , 75 % marked a self‐evaluated utility visual analogue scale score > 7 . In the control group , 60 % had search ed for alternative treatment . Conclusions . Postpartum pelvic girdle pain improved with time both in the intervention group and the control group , but there were no statistically significant differences between the groups . Self‐evaluated utility of the intervention was , however , high in the intervention group OBJECTIVE To investigate the effect of an exercise program , including specific stabilizing exercises , on pain intensity and functional ability in women with pregnancy-related low back pain . METHODS Fifty women between 16 and 24 weeks of pregnancy were recruited at Tygerberg and Paarl Hospitals , Western Cape , South Africa . Twenty-six women were r and omized to a 10-week exercise program and 24 were r and omized as controls .  RESULTS Overall , the most frequent type of back pain experienced was lumbar pain ( 36 [ 72.0 % ] ) . Pain intensity ( P=0.76 ) and functional ability ( P=0.29 ) were comparable between the groups on study entry . In the study group , there was a significant improvement in pain intensity ( P<0.01 ) and an improvement in functional ability ( P=0.06 ) at the end of the study . In the control group , there were no significant changes in pain intensity ( P=0.89 ) or functional ability ( P=0.70 ) at the end of the study . CONCLUSION A specific exercise program decreased back pain intensity and increased functional ability during pregnancy in South African women with lumbar and pelvic girdle pain Background For the moment , scientific evaluation of programs on treatment of pregnancy-related pelvic girdle and /or low back pain after delivery is hardly available with only one study with a positive result , suggesting uncertainty about the optimal approach . Investigators draw particular attention to biomedical factors but there is growing evidence that biopsychosocial factors appear to be even more important as a basis of an intervention program . Methods We studied the effectiveness of a tailor-made program with respect to biopsychosocial factors ( intervention group ) in women with pregnancy-related pelvic girdle and / or low back pain versus usual care based on a pain contingent basis ( control group ) shortly after delivery in a r and omized controlled trial . Women with severe complaints shortly after delivery were selected from a longitudinal prospect i ve cohort study ( n = 7526 ) , aim ed at pregnancy-related pelvic girdle and /or low back pain in the Netherl and s. A concealed block r and omization was performed after collecting baseline data . Research ers were blinded to treatment assignment . Outcomes were evaluated within the domains of the biopsychosocial approach . Primary outcome concerned limitations in activities ( RDQ ) . Follow-up measurements were performed 12 weeks after delivery . Results Since May 2001 until July 2003 , 869 women out of the cohort made a request for treatment by a physiotherapist , 10 days after delivery . Because of a quick recovery in two weeks time , we included only 126 women three weeks after delivery . There was a statistically significant and clinical ly relevant difference in improvement on the primary outcome ( RDQ ) between the two groups in favor of the experimental intervention . Conclusion The results favored the hypotheses . Women 's worries about their condition were major targets in the experimental intervention . The prognosis after delivery , especially in de first weeks , turned out to be favorable This study was undertaken to investigate the effects of acupuncture in low back and pelvic pain during pregnancy under real life conditions , as compared with patients undergoing conventional treatment alone . A total of 61 conventionally treated pregnant women were allocated r and omly into two groups to be treated or not by acupuncture .  Twenty-seven patients formed the study group and 34 the control group . They reported the severity of pain using a Numerical Rating Scale from 0 to 10 , and their capacity to perform general activities , to work , and to walk . We also assessed the use of analgesic drugs .  Women were followed up for eight weeks and interviewed five times , at two-week intervals . All women completed the study . In the study group the average pain during the study period showed a larger reduction ( 4.8 points ) than the control group ( −0.3 points ) ( P<0.0001 ) . Average pain scores decreased by at least 50 % over time in 21 ( 78 % ) patients in the acupuncture group and in five ( 15 % ) patients in the control group ( P<0.0001 ) . Maximum pain and pain at the moment of interview were also less in the acupuncture group compared with the control group . The capacity to perform general activities , to work and to walk was improved significantly more in the study group than in the control group ( P<0.05 ) . The use of paracetamol  was lower in the acupuncture group ( P<0.01 ) . These results indicate that acupuncture seems to alleviate low back and pelvic pain during 
    Output:
    
RESULTS For lumbopelvic pain during pregnancy , the evidence was strong for positive effects of acupuncture and pelvic belts .
The evidence was low for exercise in general and for specific stabilizing exercises .
The evidence was very limited for efficacy of water gymnastics , progressive muscle relaxation , a specific pelvic tilt exercise , osteopathic manual therapy , craniosacral therapy , electrotherapy and yoga .
For postpartum lumbopelvic pain , the evidence was very limited for clinic-based treatment concepts , including specific stabilizing exercises , and for self-management interventions for women with severe disabilities .
No specific adverse events were reported for any intervention .
The levels of evidence were strong for a positive effect of acupuncture and pelvic belts , but weak for an effect of specific exercises .