Impact of exercise on musculoskeletal pain and disability in the postpartum period: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract Objective To examine the impact of exercise on musculoskeletal pain (low back pain (LBP), pelvic girdle pain (PGP), lumbopelvic pain (LBPP) and bodily pain) and kinesiophobia during the postpartum period. Design Systematic review with random effects meta-analysis. Study eligibility criteria Online databases were searched from database inception to 12 January 2024. Studies of all designs (except case studies) of any publication date or language were included if they contained information on the population (women and people in the first year postpartum), intervention (subjective or objective measures of frequency, intensity, duration, volume or type of exercise, alone (‘exercise-only’) or in combination with other interventions (eg, electrotherapy, infrared irradiation, ultrasound; ‘exercise+cointervention’)), comparator (no exercise or different exercise measures) and outcome (symptom severity of LBP/PGP/LBPP, related disability, bodily pain and kinesiophobia). Results 37 studies (N=3769 participants) from 15 countries were included. Moderate certainty evidence showed that exercise-only interventions, including various strengthening exercises targeting the trunk muscles, were associated with a greater reduction in LBPP symptom severity (4 randomised controlled trials (RCTs), n=210; mean difference −2.21 points (on a 0–10 Visual Analogue Scale) 95% CI −3.33 to −1.08) and related disability (6 RCTs, n=296; standardised mean difference −1.17, 95% CI −1.92 to −0.43; large effect size) as compared with no exercise. Similar results were found for bodily pain (2 RCTs, n=318). Evidence was limited and inconclusive regarding the impact of exercise interventions on kinesiophobia. Conclusion Postnatal exercises, including a variety of muscular strengthening exercises targeting the trunk muscles, decrease the symptom severity of LBPP and related disability.