Comparative effectiveness of prenatal yoga and pregnancy exercise in reducing low back pain among third-trimester pregnant women
Keywords:
low back pain, pregnancy, pregnancy exercise, prenatal yoga, third trimesterAbstract
Low back pain is one of the most common musculoskeletal discomforts during late pregnancy and may interfere with mobility, sleep, daily activity, and quality of life. Prenatal yoga and pregnancy exercise are frequently recommended as safe non-pharmacological approaches, yet comparative evidence in community-based midwifery settings remains limited. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of prenatal yoga and pregnancy exercise in reducing low back pain among third-trimester pregnant women at Wairoro Community Health Center. A quasi-experimental two-group pretest-posttest study was conducted among 40 third-trimester pregnant women. Participants were allocated into a prenatal yoga group (n=20) and a pregnancy exercise group (n=20). Both interventions were conducted once weekly for four weeks. Low back pain was measured using the Visual Analog Scale. Within-group changes were analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test, while between-group differences in change scores were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test. Before the intervention, the two groups had comparable low back pain levels (p=0.945). Pain decreased significantly after both prenatal yoga (mean score: 4.65 to 1.90; p=0.001) and pregnancy exercise (mean score: 4.70 to 3.70; p=0.001). However, the pain-reduction rank was significantly higher in the prenatal yoga group than in the pregnancy exercise group (mean rank: 28.50 vs. 12.50; p=0.001). Prenatal yoga and pregnancy exercise both reduced low back pain in third-trimester pregnant women, but prenatal yoga showed greater effectiveness. Midwives should consider integrating structured prenatal yoga into antenatal classes, provided that maternal and fetal conditions are clinically appropriate.
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