Table 1.
Baseline Characteristics of the Study Groups
| Variables | Intervention Group | Control Group | |
|---|---|---|---|
| n=34 | n=32 | ||
| Maternal age (years) | 31.4 (3.9) | 30.8 (4.8) | |
| Education | |||
| Primary School | 3 (9) | 3 (9) | |
| High School | 8 (23) | 6 (19) | |
| University | 18 (53) | 16 (50) | |
| Other | 5 (15) | 7 (22) | |
| Nulliparous women | 13 (38) | 12 (38) | |
| Gestational age (week) | 22.6 (5.5) | 21.9 (5.2) | |
| BMI at inclusion | 27.1 (3.7) | 26.2 (4.3) | |
| Use of analgesics* | 9 (26) | 6 (19) | |
| Pain provocation tests for anterior pain | |||
| Modified Trendelenburg test | 24 (71) | 20 (63) | |
| MAT-test | 24 (71) | 26 (81) | |
| Pain provocation tests for posterior pain | |||
| Modified Trendelenburg test | 27 (79) | 24 (75) | |
| PPPP-test | 33 (97) | 28 (88) | |
| Patrick’s Faber test | 28 (82) | 27 (84) | |
| Functional test | |||
| ASLR- test (0–10) | 4.9 (3.1) | 4.3 (3.2) | |
| Primary outcomes | |||
| Nightly anterior pain, VAS, 0–100 mm | 44.3 (26.1) | 46.5 (25.4) | |
| Nightly posterior pain, VAS | 61.2 (16.9) | 60.4 (21.5) | |
| Secondary outcomes | |||
| Evening anterior pain, VAS | 45.9 (27.3) | 51.2 (26.9) | |
| Evening posterior pain, VAS | 60.9 (17.6) | 65.0 (20.9) | |
| ESS | 12.0 [7;16] | 10.5 [8;13] | |
| EQ-VAS | 50.0 [30;60] | 46.5 [34;65] | |
| Nightly wake ups | 3.9 (2.1) | 3.2 (1.6) | |
| PCS, total score | 24.5 [17;34] | 28.0 [19;36] | |
| PGQ | 52.5 [47;58] | 49.0 [42;57] | |
| Sleep duration, minutes | 360 (85.2) | 359 (78.0) | |
| Women on sick leave | 16 (47%) | 15 (47) | |
Notes: Values are given as n (%), mean (SD) or median [25 to 75 quartiles] when appropriate. All p-values not significant. *Paracetamol. Intervention group, Standard treatment plus mattress and pillow, Control group, Standard treatment.
Abbreviations: ASLR-test, active straight leg test; BMI, body mass index; ESS, Epworth sleepiness scale; EQ-VAS, euroqol visual analogue scale; PGQ, pelvic girdle questionnaire; PCS, pain catastrophizing scale; PPPP-test, posterior pelvic pain provocation test; VAS, visual analogue scale: 0 to 100 mm.