Generalized joint hypermobility and risk of pelvic girdle pain in pregnancy: does body mass index matter?

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      Women with generalized joint hypermobility may be at increased risk of pregnancy-related pelvic girdle pain, but evidence is inconclusive. In this prospective cohort study of 283 pregnant women in Norway, we aimed to study the association of generalized joint mobility with pelvic girdle pain, and to evaluate if pre-pregnancy body mass index was a modifier of the association. Generalized joint hypermobility was defined as a score of ≥5/9 positive tests on the Beighton score measured in early pregnancy. Primary outcome was evening pain intensity in gestation week 30, measured by a 100 mm visual analogue scale. We applied linear regression analyses to estimate age-adjusted unstandardized beta coefficients. Evening pain intensity was similar among women with Beighton score ≥ 5/9 and women with Beighton score < 5/9 (age-adjusted mean difference 2.8 mm; 95% CI: −9.2 to 14.9 mm). Women with Beighton score ≥ 5/9 and pre-pregnancy body mass index ≥ 25 kg/m2, reported higher evening pain than women with Beighton score < 5/9 and pre-pregnancy body mass index <25 kg/m2 (age-adjusted mean difference 28.7 mm; 95% CI: 14.3–43.1 mm). Overall, evening pain intensity was similar among pregnant women with and without generalized joint hypermobility. However, women with a combination of generalized joint hypermobility and body mass index ≥25 kg/m2 reported higher evening pain compared to women with normal joint mobility and body mass index <25 kg/m2, suggesting that body mass index may modify the association. The estimates could be imprecise due to the small study sample, and our findings should be interpreted with caution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]