Background Low back pain (LBP) is a common complaint experienced by pregnant women, especially in the third trimester, which can interfere with daily activities, sleep quality, and readiness for labor. Nonpharmacological approaches such as music therapy and hypnobirthing are developing as alternatives that are considered safe, inexpensive, and minimal in side effects, but the effectiveness of the combination of the two methods has not been widely studied in the context of pregnancy in Indonesia Methods This quasi-experimental study aimed to examine the effectiveness of hypnobirthing, music therapy, and their combination in alleviating LBP among third-trimester pregnant women. A total of 200 participants were divided into four groups: hypnobirthing (n=50), music therapy (n=50), a combination group (n=50), and a control group receiving standard antenatal care (n=50). The study was conducted at four Community Health Centers (Puskesmas) in Palembang City, South Sumatra Province, Indonesia. Pain levels were assessed before and after the intervention using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS). The statistical analyses used included the Paired Sample t-test, One-Way ANOVA, and Post hoc comparisons using Tukey HSD test for mean pain scores between the groups. Results The study showed a statistically significant reduction in LBP intensity in all the intervention groups compared to that in the control group (p < 0.001), with the combined intervention group demonstrating the greatest improvement. These findings suggest that both hypnobirthing and music therapy are effective in managing pregnancy-related LBP, and their combination may offer enhanced benefits for managing pregnancy-related LBP. Conclusions Music therapy and hypnobirthing have been proven effective in reducing lower back pain intensity in pregnant women in their third trimester, with the combination of both therapies providing the most significant effect. This study supports the inclusion of non-pharmacological approaches in routine antenatal care to improve maternal comfort and well-being.
Murbiah et al. (Thu,) studied this question.