According to a recent study, acupuncture helps ease most pregnant women’s pelvic and lower back pain.

Acupuncture releases endorphins that enhance blood circulation in muscles 

Yunnan University Researcher of Chinese Medicine said this could be because this needle-based therapy produces endorphins, or “happy hormones,” and boosts blood circulation to the muscles and skin.

The precise mechanism through which it might accomplish this is unknown, and the usefulness of the complementary therapy for backaches in pregnancy—affecting 90% of pregnant mothers- is still “hotly debated.”

Researchers in China reached their findings after reviewing ten previous clinical trials examining the problem. Even though only a handful of the published research investigated outcomes like preterm babies, there weren’t many overt negative effects on neonates. In addition, nine of the trials show a significant pain reduction with acupuncture.

In contrast to the five studies that looked at life quality, four revealed that physical function was “substantially” better following the therapy. In addition, four trials found that acupuncture significantly reduced pain compared to other therapies or no treatment.

No differences in dosage in the two trials 

According to two trials on painkillers, there wasn’t a variation in dosage between those who got acupuncture and those who did not. Neither of the four trials examined the health differences between infants whose mothers underwent the therapy and whose mothers didn’t show a noticeable difference in the health of the infants.

Preterm cramps were also noted in two experiments, but the newborns in both cases were unharmed. Seven studies noted additional modest adverse effects for expectant moms, including sleepiness, soreness, discomfort, and bleeding at the injection site. However, most participants were open to repeating acupuncture if necessary and gave it a favourable rating.

Study authors indicated that the discomfort, functional ability, and quality of life of pregnant women with pelvic/lower back pain significantly improved following acupuncture therapy. In addition, acupuncture produced no major negative effects on the neonates that could be seen. More studies are, however, needed to confirm the findings.