For pregnant women, pain relief from lower back pain can be a challenge.

This is magnified for those expectant mothers who seek opiate painkillers to relieve pain symptoms during pregnancy.

Cases of neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) — in which babies are born addicted to opioids because of their mothers’ use of the drugs during pregnancy — have increased fivefold between 2000 and 2012, based on data from mothers and babies in the United States published in the journal, JAMA Pediatrics. That number represents approximately 22,000 infants within the last year, according to the study.

In an interview with CBS News, Dr. Terrie Inder of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Mass., says that, “The babies really suffer, just as adults do when they withdraw from narcotics.”

Providing alternative methods of pain relief for mothers-to-be will help prevent the birth of opioid-addicted babies. The recent directive from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advising physicians to significantly cut down on the prescribing of opioids as painkillers should encourage more physicians to recommend drug-free pain management strategies, many of which are at least partly covered by insurance plans or are eligible for reimbursement through flexible spending accounts.

Chiropractic care is a safe, drug-free option to help pregnant women manage the spinal and pelvic pain that often accompany pregnancy. A minimum of seven years is required to attain a doctor of chiropractic degree. “All chiropractors are trained to work with women who are pregnant,” and can provide relief by using hands-on adjustments to restore pelvic balance and alignment, according to the American Pregnancy Association.