Plasma prostaglandin levels and expression in sacroiliac joints: Effects of low swim training in pregnant rats

As the pregnancy progresses, the pressure on the sacroiliac joint/SIJ increases and causes pain. Chondrocytes will release prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) on cartilage traumatized tissue. Hypothetically, swimming is beneficial for training buoyancy and mechanical loading training towards cartilage. This study aimed to investigate the effect of swimming on downturns plasma and PGE2 expression in SIJ tissue of pregnant rats. This study was an experimental study involving thirty-six female rats that were grouped into six groups. The swimming training was performed two days for the adaptation process and nine days for core swim training with 60 minutes. Afterward, PGE2 plasma was collected from the lateral vein of the rat eyes before and after treatment. The SIJ cartilage was collected from pregnant rats at 20 days of pregnancy. PGE2 plasma levels in pregnant rats before treatment had higher levels than non-pregnant rats. The swim training provided a significant difference in plasma levels and PGE2 expression on SIJ in all groups (p 0,000). Our study provides evidence that pregnancy can increase PGE2 expression in the fibrous and cartilage tissues of the sacroiliac joint, which can be treated by effective swim training that downturns plasma and expression of PGE2 in SIJ of the pregnant rats.