Pregnancy Can Be A Pain In The ……Back!

For just a second or two I will take a break from talking about wellness, and move into dealing with a specific health issue. Recently I’ve run across several women that were pregnant and having to deal with lower back pain. It’s not surprising by any means, especially since 80% of the general population has back pain at some point in their lives. And considering that a large portion in our community is of child bearing age, I thought this might be a good topic to touch on this month.

Back pain or discomfort is common during pregnancy and should be expected to some degree by most women. Back pain may be experienced during any point of your pregnancy; however, it most commonly occurs later in the pregnancy as the weight of the baby increases. Back pain can disrupt your daily routine or interfere with a good night of sleep. The good news is there are steps you can take to manage the back pain that you experience.

There are a number of causes of back pain related to pregnancy. On top of all the wonderful changes your body goes through, hormones are released that allow the ligaments in the body to loosen, so that the pelvis can spread wider for the passage of the baby. That’s bad news on two fronts: 1. Your hips get bigger, and 2. Joints get stressed more (particularly the joints where the pelvis joins the triangular shaped bone called the sacrum). Another reason is your center of gravity changes as the baby grows. This causes more and more stress on your back muscles since they have to work harder to keep you upright and not falling over face first into the ground. Additionally, the challenge of finding comfortable positions to sit or stand in may cause you to assume poor posture at times, thus stressing your back further.

So, how can you prevent the back pain? Listed below are suggestions from the American Pregnancy Association:

1. Use exercises approved by your health care provider that support and help strengthen the back and abdomen
2. Squat to pick up something versus bending over
3. Avoid high heels and other shoes that do not provide adequate support
4. Avoid sleeping on your back
5. Wear a support belt under your lower abdomen
6. Make sure your back is aligned using a chiropractor
7. Get plenty of rest. Elevating your feet is also good for your back

But what if you are already suffering from back pain? Again, from the American Pregnancy Association website:

1. Use ice or heat
2. Braces or support devices
3. Sleep on your left side and use a support pillow under your knees
4. Medications used to treat inflammation
5. Use a licensed health care professional such as a chiropractor or massage therapist (our therapists are trained in pregnancy massage).

I hope this has been helpful for those in our community that are expecting, and wondering about or already suffering from back pain. We’d love to help you have a more enjoyable pregnancy if we can!