Association of Lumbopelvic Pain with Pelvic Alignment and Gait Pattern during Pregnancy

Study background: Management of lumbopelvic pain (LPP) during pregnancy is important and the anatomical and movement aspects may be related to LPP. This study aimed to investigate the association of LPP with pelvic alignment and gait pattern during pregnancy. Methods: Fifty-seven pregnant women were categorized into either the LPP or non-LPP (NLPP) group. Anterior pelvic tilt and bilateral difference in pelvic tilt as pelvic asymmetry were measured. An inertial measurement unit was attached at the participants’ L3 spinous process to measure 3-axes acceleration during gait. The degrees of movement symmetry, gait variability, and trunk movement were expressed as the autocorrelation peak (AC), coefficient of variance, and root mean square (RMS), respectively. An independent t-test was used to investigate differences in pelvic alignment and gait parameters between the groups. Multivariate stepwise logistic regression analysis was used to identify parameters that affected LPP. Additionally, multivariate linear regression analyses were performed to determine the parameters affected by LPP. Each significant parameter (from the previous analysis) was included as a dependent variable. Meanwhile, the presence or absence of LPP, BMI, and pregnancy months were included as explanatory variables. Results: In the LPP group, pelvic asymmetry was significantly higher, and the AC and RMS were significantly lower than that in the NLPP group. In the multivariate analysis, pelvic asymmetry and AC significantly affected LPP, while LPP significantly affected pelvic asymmetry and RMS. Conclusion: Pelvic asymmetry and movement asymmetry during gait affect LPP, while LPP affect pelvic asymmetry and trunk movement during gait. Therefore, evaluating both of the pelvic alignment and gait pattern especially focusing on asymmetry is important for management LPP during pregnancy.