80 Volunteers Needed for Back Pain and Pregnancy Study

Sunnybrook, in collaboration with the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College, is studying the relationship between abdominal muscles after pregnancy and back pain. Women will be assessed with ultrasound imaging within four weeks of delivery to demonstrate a difference in abdominal musculature thickness compared to healthy women who have not had children.

The study is looking for 80 volunteers between the ages of 20 and 40 years who have had a baby in the last month.

It has been suggested that during pregnancy the abdominal muscles become stretched and thinner, and in about one-third of women, the muscles separate completely. The changes within the muscles are often blamed, in part, for why the pain occurs.

However what precisely happens to the abdominal muscles and their function during this time is not known.

During the visit, participants will be asked to complete a health status questionnaire and informed consent. Each participant's birth date, height, weight and history of back pain will be recorded by researchers. When the findings of this study are published, strict confidentiality will be maintained.

As compensation for your time in this study, you will be provided with education and instruction on core training. This informal training session should take place at the end of your testing session or you will be contacted and a mutally agreeable time will be determined.

The session will take place at either Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre or the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College. Participants are asked to wear loose pants as the area between the bottom of the rib cage and the top of the pubic bone needs to be exposed.

If you would like to participate, or have any questions regarding your eligibility, please contact:

Melissa Brown, Research Associate
Women & Babies Program
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Phone: 416-323-6400 ext. 4482
Email: melissa.brown@sunnybrook.ca