Back pain during pregnancy: causes and treatments

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Pregnancy back pain or any other discomfort is very common and is to be expected in most cases. May occur at any stage of pregnancy; however, this most often occurs later, when the child reaches a significant weight.

Back pain can disrupt daily life or interfere with good sleep. The good news is that there are steps you can take to deal with it.

How common is back pain during pregnancy?

Pain in the back and in the lumbar region during pregnancy occurs in a large number of women. Basically, seventy percent of the fairer sex who are expecting a baby suffer from this problem.

What causes back pain during an interesting position?

Back pain during pregnancy is associated with a number of factors. Some women experience lower back pain early in pregnancy. Women who are overweight or have this problem before conception are more at risk for discomfort.

Here is a list of potential causes of back pain:

• Increased Hormones - The hormones released during pregnancy act on the ligaments in the pelvic area and the joints become looser in preparation for birth. This shift in the joints and loosening of the ligaments can affect the back.
• Center of gravity - it will gradually move forward as the uterus and baby grow, which causes the position to change.
• Additional weight - The developing pregnancy and baby create additional weight that the back has to support, but it can't always handle it.
• Position - bad posture, excessive bending can cause or exacerbate back pain.

How to prevent or reduce back pain during pregnancy?

Pregnancy back pain cannot be completely prevented, but there are things a woman can do to reduce the severity or frequency of occurrence.

Here are some steps you can take to reduce back pain:

1. Practice correct posture. As the child grows, the center of gravity shifts forward. To avoid falling forward, you need to compensate by leaning back, which can strain the muscles in your lower back and contribute to back pain during pregnancy. Follow these principles of good posture:

• Walk straight.
• Keep your chest high.
• Keep your shoulders back and relaxed.
• Don't bend your knees.
• When a woman is standing, you need to use a comfortable wideposition for better support.
• Good posture also means sitting with care. It is always a good idea to sit not on a stool, but on a chair that supports your back, or put a small pillow behind your lower back.

2. Proper footwear. Wear low-heeled shoes - not flat - with good arch support. Avoid high heels, which can further shift the balance of the body forward and lead to back problems.

3. Also consider wearing a belt for pregnant women. While research on the effectiveness of these belts is limited, some women find them helpful.

4. Pick up items correctly. Lifting a small object, squat and bend your legs. It's also important to know your limitations. If a woman needs to lift something, then it is better for her to turn to someone for help.

5. Sleep on the side. Sleep on your side, not on your back. Keep your knees bent. It is also possible to use pillows between bent knees, under the stomach and behind the back.

6. Warm, cold. While evidence to support their effectiveness is limited, applying a heating pad or ice pack to the back may help.

Physical activity in daily life

Regular physical activity can keep your back he althy and relieve back pain during pregnancy. For example, walking or water exercises. A physical therapist can also show you stretches and exercises that can help.

How can pain be relieved?

Quickly relieve pain will help:

1. Back massage. You can do it yourself (knead your lower back with both hands), or trust a massage specialist.
2. Bandage. It helps to support the stomach, thereby reducing the load on the back.
3. Pillow. Special cushions are placed under the stomach during sleep.
4. Pool. If there is no threat of termination of pregnancy, then the expectant mother should pay attention to visiting the pool. It relaxes the back muscles, improves breathing, blood circulation and speeds up the metabolism.
5. Medications. These include pills, gels, ointments for back pain during pregnancy.

Additional treatments

Some studies show that acupuncture can reduce back pain during pregnancy. Chiropractic will provide comfort for women. However, further research is needed. If you are considering additional therapy, you should discuss it with your doctor. Be sure to tell the chiropractor or acupuncturist about your condition.

Timely consultation with your doctor

If a woman has severe low back pain during pregnancy or back pain that lasts more than two weeks, she should talk to her doctor. He may recommend medications such as acetaminophen (Tylenol, others) or other treatments.

Be aware that lower back pain during pregnancy can be a sign of preterm labor or a urinary tract infection. If a woman's discomfort in position is accompanied by vaginalbleeding, fever, or burning during urination, she should contact her doctor immediately.

Yoga during pregnancy

If your back hurts during pregnancy, why not use another method? The best way to both relieve pain and prevent pain is yoga. Regular classes:

1. Relieve or completely eliminate back pain.
2. Contribute to the prevention and reduction of edema (almost habitual companions of pregnancy).
3. Prevent varicose veins.
4. Improve blood circulation.
5. Maintain optimal body tone: gently strengthen the muscles of the pelvis, abdomen, back, improve the elasticity of ligaments and muscle tissues. And this is preparing the body for the upcoming birth and facilitating postpartum recovery.
6. Fill with a feeling of cheerfulness and strength.
7. Optimize the functioning of the immune system.
8. Protect against diseases.

Will yoga help everyone?

Important to know:

• If the pregnant mother is not an experienced yoga practitioner, then classes should be refrained until 12 weeks of pregnancy.
• If a mother practiced yoga regularly for at least 1 year before pregnancy, then, despite her well-being, she can continue to practice (even in the first trimester), taking into account the peculiarities of the practice of a pregnant woman (certain exercises and techniques are excluded).

Yoga classes for pregnant women with different physical fitness have no fundamental differences: the same restrictions and requirements. Moms with better physical fitness can practice longerasanas.

Before practicing yoga, you should consult a doctor who has a pregnant woman registered. Today, experts are increasingly pointing out the importance of yoga during pregnancy, because it will not only prevent back pain, but also improve the general condition of the body.

Yoga for back pain

The following are the best exercises to use if you are pulling your back during pregnancy:

Static back. In this pose, gravity is used, the hips and torso are placed on the same plane. It helps relieve pain in the lower back. Lie on your back, relax your arms, lower them along the body and place your legs bent at the knees on a pillow or sofa so that the shins are parallel to the ground. The knees should form a 90 degree angle with the body, the neck should be relaxed. Hold this pose for at least five minutes

Outside the bridge. This exercise helps to lengthen the muscles of the spine and hips. Lie on your back, legs bent at the knees, place at a distance of about a palm to the buttocks. Put a pillow between your knees. Feet shoulder width apart. While lifting your hips up, pinch the pillow with your knees. Don't strain your neck. Hold for 15 seconds, relax and repeat this pose 3-4 more times

Feet along the wall. In order to relax your shoulders, you need to lie on your back against a wall and place a yoga block under your lower back. Raise your legs up so that your heels are against the wall. Keep your arms open and relaxed at your sides

On the shoulders. Similar to previouspose, but remove the yoga block from under your back and rest your feet against the wall so that your hips rise to the level of your face. The result is a straight line from the knees to the shoulders. This pose allows you to get rid of the load of the body, which takes on the lower back

Child pose. Child's pose relaxes the sacrum and lower back, slowing down the heart rate. Place a roller or pillow between your knees and spread them, toes touching each other. Sit with your hips on your feet and relax your chest on the support roller. Turn your head to one side and breathe deeply. Remain in this position for as long as is comfortable, alternately changing the position of the head in the opposite direction

Yoga for back pain prevention

If your back hurts in early pregnancy, and for prevention in general, you can do the following exercises:

"Hero". Sit on a pillow, knees connected, and feet apart. Straighten your feet so that even the little toes on your feet touch the floor. Straighten up and raise your arms, taking opposite elbows with your palms

"The cat and the cow". This posture promotes bilateral flexion and extension of the spine while gravity loads the shoulders and hip joints. Get into a table position and place your hands directly under your shoulders and your knees directly under your hips. Inhale and look forward, exhale and lower your head

Forward bends touching the toes. Connect your toes, heels apart torelax your lower back. Bend forward with arms bent at the elbows. Reach for your toes

Lunge forward. Take a deep lunge forward with your left foot. The right hand touches the floor, the palm is turned back (thus the shoulders go back). The left hand reaches to the floor above the knee. The upper body rests on the knee, thus lengthening the spine. Repeat with other leg

Turn of the torso while sitting. This pose stretches the thoracic (pectoral) muscles by rotating the body. Straighten one leg and bend the other. Feet point forward and knees up. Turn towards the bent knee, hug it with the opposite hand. Put the other hand behind for balance

"Position of wisdom". This exercise helps to expand the lumbar spine and works out the full range of motion in the hip joints. Sit straight. Bend the left leg at the knee, the right leg extended in front of you. The foot of the left leg touches the knee of the right leg. Place your right hand on your left knee, left hand behind, for balance. Twist your body to the left, while turning your head to the right. Repeat for opposite side

Before carrying out any treatment, be it back massage or yoga, an obstetrician-gynecologist should be consulted.