Simple Tips to Ease Pregnancy-Related Back Pain
Pregnancy is one of the happiest times in every woman’s life, yet it is also one of the most uncomfortable. In addition to the morning sickness, food cravings and wardrobe changes, many women suffer from back pain. Failing to address this problem in a timely manner can cause unnecessary stress, impede the delivery, and even lead to chronic back pain after birth.
Back pain during pregnancy occurs for a variety of reasons relating to the natural changes in the body. As you gain weight, excessive stress is imposed on your musculoskeletal structure, particularly your back. Your body also adjusts to a new natural posture, creating muscle imbalances and fatigue. Furthermore, a surge of hormones weakens the joints, thereby decreasing your body’s overall support system.
Expectant mothers typically begin to develop back pain between the 5th and 7th month of pregnancy. However, some women develop back pain within merely 8 to 12 weeks. Common risk factors for early onset of back pain include pre-existing back problems, inactive lifestyle, poor flexibility, weak back and abdominal muscles, and of course carrying more than one child at once.
Fortunately, we have provided you with a variety of different natural tips that you can incorporate into your daily schedule to help you obtain relief from back pain, including:
Stay Active and Exercise
Strengthening your core is an effective way of combatting pregnancy-related lower back pain. Many people don’t realize that the core muscles go well beyond just the abdominals. The core is essentially made up of the deep abdominal muscles, oblique muscles, gluteal muscles, diaphragm, back muscles, and the pelvic floor muscles. Collectively, these muscles work together to help stabilize the spine. When one of these muscles does not work in-sync with the others, stability of the spine becomes compromised and can result in pain and movement dysfunction. Other forms of exercise that are very beneficial during pregnancy include aquatic/pool exercise, walking, yoga, and pilates.
Be sure to consult with your doctor or physical therapist to ensure your exercising in the right positions or performing the correct exercises based on where you are during your pregnancy. In general, during the second and third trimesters you should avoid exercises that involve lying flat on your back as this decreases blood flow to the uterus. I highly recommend finding a good physical therapist to get you started on an individualized exercise program that is specifically catered towards your specific goals and your specific body.
Practice Good Posture
As you start to develop your baby bump, your body goes through significant changes. As you gain more weight, your abdominals get less strong resulting in more stress on your lower back. The joints above and below your lower back start to compensate because of these changes. In addition to this, your joints get loser because of the excessive amounts of hormones being released from the pregnancy. When we say practice good posture, we essentially mean don’t stay in any given position for a prolonged period of time. Avoid sitting or standing in one position for too long. Our bodies love movement variability. The longer you stay in one position, the more your body adapts making it difficult to come out of those postures. Moral of the story: Practicing good posture goes well beyond just sitting up straight all day. Perfect posture doesn’t exist! Keep moving and avoid being any one position for a prolonged period. Recognizing this is a great way to practice good posture.
Get a Massage
Massage is a great way to help relax tight and spasmed muscles in your lower back during pregnancy. Techniques such as soft tissue massage, trigger point release, myofascial release, and fascial distortion model are very effective ways of calming down irritated tissue. Massage also helps to promote mental relaxation which also plays a significant role in your perceived tightness of your muscles
Wear Comfortable Shoes
The feet are the support system for the entire body. Alterations at the feet can alter muscles and joints all the way up. It is not uncommon for women who are pregnant to report swelling of the feet and ankles. You may need to wear more comfortable shoes that are fitted specifically to your current foot size. Avoiding high heels is key during pregnancy. I typically will recommend to my clients who are experiencing pregnancy-related lower back pain to follow these practical guidelines when choosing shoes: Easy to put on, supportive, comfortable, stylish (to maintain your confidence 😊) roomy, and little to no heel.
Sleep On Your Side
During pregnancy, you may find yourself wrestling in bed trying to get comfortable before falling asleep. Unfortunately, your regular sleeping positions may no longer work for you during pregnancy. Try sleeping on your side with your head slightly propped up and a pillow between your legs to help sleep with less lower back pain. According to the American Pregnancy Association, sleeping on your left side also has the benefit of increasing the amount of blood and nutrients that reach the placenta and your baby.
If you are an expectant mother experiencing pregnancy-related lower back pain and your curious if physical therapy is the right solution for you, CLICK HERE to schedule your FREE DISCOVERY VISIT or FREE PHONE CONSULTATION!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Dr. Garrett Desrosiers PT, DPT
Garrett is the CEO and Co-Owner of ProResults Physical Therapy Inc. in San Marcos, CA (North San Diego County). Garrett has been helping on-the-go active adults and athletes across the south western United States return to a pain-free active lifestyle without medications, injections, surgery or making unnecessary trips to the physician’s office since 2015. He graduated in 2013 with his Bachelors of Science in Kinesiology then went on to receive his Doctorate of Physical Therapy from Husson University in 2015. After working for three years in multiple fast paced outpatient orthopedic physical therapy clinics, Garrett quickly realized he was not able to provide the elite quality care he knew his clients deserved. Garrett felt clients were more than just a number or diagnosis and that in order to provide the time, empathy, passion, and high-quality treatment they deserved, starting his own private practice was the only option. Garrett is committed to helping every client make the best decision in regard to their health. His unique, personalized, eclectic, multifaceted approach takes those individuals who have decreased their activities or stopped being active all together to a real solution.