Pregnancy and Back Pain

PREGNANT WOMAN WITH BACK PAINS: CAN YOU AVOID IT?

Many factors predispose the pregnant woman to back pains.  In fact, we know that 70% of the population will come across back pains in their life.  However, even with the predisposing factors, it is possible to go through a pregnancy with a healthy back.  

Some good and practical advice from your physiotherapist can help prevent this problem.

Many changes disrupt a woman during pregnancy.  

For example, the weight of the stomach shifts the gravity centre of the body towards the front, creating the abdominal muscles to release and  the pelvis to tilt provoking a larger lumbar curve (lower back).  This makes the back rounder at the thorax level as well as the chin point towards the front.



On top of all the biomechanical and postural changes, the pregnant woman’s ligaments release with the secretion of a particular pregnancy hormone called relaxin.  The secretion of this hormone increases during the first two trimesters of the pregnancy only to slowly die down until the end.

The releasing of the ligaments is at its peak during the 7th month.  

Result?

The joints of the pelvis and spine become slightly hypermobile and therefore more vulnerable to trauma and pain.

If the woman is not careful, she could suffer from articular pain towards the 6th month of her pregnancy.  

The pain will be more apparent if she is sitting or standing too long, if she is forcing to lift something while turning or simply walking.  

We will observe a waddle in the walk of the pregnant woman.  We must also mention the fact that women with pre-existing back problems should be twice as careful.



What should you do? 

Prevention



Here are some tips from your physiotherapist:

            

            Avoid staying seated or standing too long;

            Avoid wearing high heels (they increase the lumbar curve);

            Adopt a good posture.


To check or correct the posture, do the following exercise:



Standing, back against the wall, feet 5 to 8 cm from the wall, squeeze your stomach, tighten your buttock, slightly bend the knees, shoulders straight and hold your chin in.  While doing this exercise, the back must stay glued to the wall.

            While you are sitting, put a telephone book under your feet so that your knees are slightly more elevated than your hips.  This position reduces tension in your lower back;

            When picking up a child or object, always bend your knees to lower yourself to the child’s level.  When you are holding the child, hold him in the centre.  This will prevent tensions on the articulations of the back.

            Always work facing to what you are doing.  Avoid creating torsions of your trunk when picking up an object.

            If you must stay standing for a long period of time, avoid putting all the weight on one leg.  Balance the weight to both your legs.  There are now anti-fatigue carpets on the market.  Why not try one!

            When you sleep, if you sleep on your side, place a pillow between your legs, and if you sleep on your back, put a pillow under your knees.  This will remove the tension on the articulations of the lower back area.


These are simple tips you can follow.  They are useful to all but the application of these tips is most important while a pregnancy.  


Unfortunately, a woman is predisposed to articular problems which develop back pain.  It is preferable to consult a physiotherapist for an evaluation.  Solutions to this problem exist but we must first determine the cause of the problem