Awareness To Help With Back Pain Issues During Pregnancy
Pregnancy and childbirth are some of the most challenging times a woman will face in life. Just like most men have to suffer from baldness and end up in PRP hair treatment. Unfortunately, its also when many women start experiencing back pain issues. One way to manage this issue is by wearing a maternity support belt that helps with both posture and back pain relief. If youre looking for other ways to help with back pain during pregnancy and beyond, here are some tips that can make your life slightly more comfortable. Back Pain Issues During Pregnancy is a common symptom.
Exercises To Help Relieve Hip Pain During Pregnancy
Some experts refer to it as sciatica, a condition where your sciatic nerve becomes pinched and sends pain to your buttocks, thighs, and hips, or pain in the round ligament in your groin area that is due to the ligaments stretching around allow pregnancy and childbirth.
If you find yourself at the end of this pregnancy ailment, here are eight exercises to help ease the pain and stretch. As always, please check with your doctor before trying new exercises.
Back Pain During Pregnancy
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 pregnancy as baby grows.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.
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Treatments For Back Pain In Pregnancy
More good news: Unless you had chronic backaches before you got pregnant, your pain will likely ease gradually before you give birth.
Meanwhile, there are many things you can do to treat low back pain or make it rarer and milder:
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More tips:
- If you need to pick something up from the ground, use your legs to squat rather than bend over.
- Don’t wear high-heeled shoes. Choose low-heeled shoes with good arch support. Remember, as hormones loosen joints, you may need to buy a larger shoe size.
- Don’t sleep on your back.
- Wear support hose.
If your back pain persists, you may want to consult your doctor to see what else you might try. Be sure to consult your doctor before taking pain medications. Acetaminophen is safe for most women to take during pregnancy. Aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen or naproxen are not advised. In some cases, your doctor may recommend other pain medicines or muscle relaxants that are safe during pregnancy.
Wearing A Pregnancy Belt
Girdles or pregnancy belts are very useful to relieve hip joint pain and back pain. These belts stabilize the hip and offers support to the mid and lower back. They also relieve the pressure and thus reduce the pain. There are many brands of pregnancy belts found in stores. You should consult a doctor on which type of pregnancy belt will be suitable for you.
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Consider How You Sleep
You may have been a soft mattress lover all your life until pregnancy but the pregnant body is best supported on a firm mattress. Quality sleep impacts your whole body health. Sleep only becomes increasingly important in parenthood so pregnancy is a good time to invest in a mattress that truly lets you get great sleep.
A body pillow, pregnancy pillow, or wedge pillow can provide tremendous comfort during pregnancy. All options allow the hips to be separated and supported and the shoulders to be in alignment. Wedge pillows offer a gentle lift underneath the belly to reduce strain on your back while sleeping.
Avoiding Backache In Pregnancy
There are several things you can do to help prevent backache from happening, and to help you cope with an aching back if it does occur.
It is important to avoid lifting heavy objects. When lifting or picking up something from the floor, be sure to bend your knees and keep your back straight.
These tips listed here can also help you to protect your back try to remember them every day:
- move your feet when turning around to avoid twisting your spine
- wear flat shoes as these allow your weight to be evenly distributed
- work at a surface high enough to prevent you stooping
- try to balance the weight between two bags when carrying shopping
- sit with your back straight and well supported
- avoid standing or sitting for long periods
- make sure you get enough rest, particularly later in pregnancy
- try to have good posture
A firm mattress can also help to prevent and relieve backache. If your mattress is too soft, put a piece of hardboard under it to make it firmer.
Some other activities that may help ease your back pain include:
- aqua aerobics
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How To Avoid Or Ease Back Pain During Pregnancy
There are many things you can do to avoid or ease back pain during pregnancy.
Move with care and attention
During pregnancy, it can be easier to fall or hurt yourself. Use these tips to help you support yourself better and prevent back pain.
- Avoid lifting heavy objects. If you have to lift anything at all, avoid bending at the waist. Bend your knees with your heels close to your buttocks. Use your legs and not your back to lift the object.
- Move your feet when you have to turn to the side so you dont twist your spine.
- Split light shopping into two bags and carry one bag on each side so youre not straining either side too much.
- Avoid sitting or standing for long periods of time. Take breaks. If you have to stand a lot, keep one foot at a time on top of a stool or a box. This helps to take the pressure off your back.
- When youre standing, practice good posture to avoid straining your back. Stand with your back straight. Your stomach should not be leaning forward too much.
Pay attention to the way you sit, stand, sleep or walk at all times to prevent the risk of injury and help ease back pain.
Support yourself
Extra support can be helpful to prevent injury and prevent or ease back pain.
Take rest
Keep Changing Your Posture
Change your position often to avoid over-stressing your joints.
You can also practice improving your posture by following these steps:
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Lumbar Lordosis In Pregnancy
I spoke with Micheline Cerra, a PT with 30 years of experience. Micheline is the owner of Lands End Physical Therapy in San Francisco, and has three young sons. Over the course of her career, Micheline has worked with dozens of expectant moms.
During pregnancy, a womans center of gravity shifts as the baby grows in the front of her body, Micheline explains. This causes exaggerated lordosis and weakens the core which both contribute to the back pain.
As the baby grows and the weight of the fetus increases, it takes up more space in the belly and moves the center of gravity forward. Some womens bodies accommodate this shift by hyper-extending the lower spine in an exaggerated forward curve.In addition, the weight of the babyespecially in the later monthspulls on the lower back, increasing the lumbar curve.
An exaggerated lumbar curve can tighten the long muscles that run down either side of the spine. The tighter a muscle becomes, the more painful it can feel. Tight muscles tend to be more dehydrated, and the fascia surrounding them can become stickycreating the painful muscular knots all of us have experienced at some point or another. During pregnancy, this tension can become chronic, and can persist postpartum.
Physical therapy can be really helpful. Pregnant patients can be taught to have a stronger core, and better postureboth help with back pain, Micheline says.
Is Pregnancy Back Pain The Same As Sciatica
It can be. If youre feeling sharp, shooting pain that starts in your back or buttocks and radiates down your legs, you may be experiencing sciatica.
The good news about back pain during pregnancy is that its usually as resolvable as it is common. Plus, there are many ways to relieve it so if one solution doesnt work, another probably will.
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Taking Rest And Applying Heat Therapy Can Help Heal Sore Tissues
Taking short periods of rest during the day helps ease muscle spasms and relieves acute pain. While taking rest, keeping both feet elevated can help bend the hips and decrease the curvature in the lower spine.2
Using a heat patch in the lower back area and/or rear pelvis can help reduce soreness, decrease muscle spasm, and improve blood circulation. The heat source must be used for 15 to 20 minutes at a time and be of a tolerable temperature. Placing a barrier, such as a towel, is advisable to avoid burns.
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Maintaining an optimal level of function throughout your pregnancy and having the least amount of discomfort are the main goals of treatment for back pain during pregnancy.
Physical therapy encompasses postural modifications, back strengthening, stretching, and range-of-motion exercises. Appropriate physical therapy and exercise for pregnant women instructed by a trained therapist can help strengthen the soft tissues and muscles around the lumbar spine .2
- Flexion exercises help make the abdominal muscles stronger, improve core strength, and decrease the lumbar curve.2
- Extension exercises help increase strength in the paraspinal muscles that provide stability to the spine.2
Physical therapy and exercise to reduce back pain in pregnancy include low-impact options, such as pelvic tilts, knee-to-chest stretch, straight leg raise, curl-ups, side-lying leg raise, and the Kegel exercises.2
Ways To Relieve Back Pain While Pregnant
Back pain and pregnancy are very common occurrences. As many as 80% of pregnant women will experience low back pain, especially during the late stages of pregnancy. Usually, the pain will be in the low back and is probably due to a combination of carrying extra weight and hormones that act to widen the pelvis and increase the size of the birth canal. The fact that pregnant women are severely restricted in the types of medications they can take while pregnant, makes treating back pain difficult. But do not worry because there is a solution for women who suffer from back pain while pregnant. Physical therapy is a very effective alternative to medication and allows for more personalized treatment.
Fortunately, there are a couple of simple strategies that can help minimize the pain:
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Additional 10 Tips To Get Relief From Pregnancy Back Pain:
Strap On A Maternity Belt
If you have pelvic girdle pain around your middle lower back and hips, a maternity belt may relieve your pain. This support garment does the work of the ligaments, muscles and fascia of the girdle area, explains Richter. But, she cautions, it should not be worn all of the time, because those muscles will stop working and will need to be retrained after you have your baby. I usually recommend that clients wear them during more taxing activitiessuch as activities with lots of bending, lifting, walking or standingjust so theyre not in discomfort, she explains. And then I give them exercises to try and resolve the issue.
Mickeler warns against wearing the belts too tightly, which can contribute to pelvic organ prolapse. Because of this, its best to have a practitioner guide you on how to use one.
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Is It Normal To Have Back Pain In Early Pregnancy
It is very common for the expectant mother to start feeling back pain at the beginning of pregnancy due to the increase in progesterone and relaxin hormones in the blood, which makes the ligaments of the spine and the sacrum relax, causing pain.
The risk of having back pain in early pregnancy is greater for women who have had back pain before, and it tends to get worse as the pregnancy progresses.
When To Contact Your Health Care Provider
Experiencing back pain is usually not a reason to contact your health care provider, but there are situations where contacting your provider is necessary.You want to contact your health care provider if you are experiencing any of the following:
- Severe back pain
- Increasingly severe or abrupt-onset of back pain
- Rhythmic cramping painsThis could be a sign of preterm labor.
Severe back pain may be related to pregnancy-associated osteoporosis, vertebral osteoarthritis, or septic arthritis. These are not common, but it is something your health care provider will examine for if you are experiencing severe back pain.
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Back Pain Has A Trigger
While not always the case, you can often identify what you were doing earlier in the day that may have triggered back pain. You may have been on your feet for too long, slept poorly, or lifted something that resulted in a muscle tear. Labor pains tend to come on without a specific trigger, whereas back pain is a chronic condition.
Second Trimester Back Pain
Second-trimester back pain typically occurs during the latter half of this trimester, after 20 weeks Just to keep in mind, this can be a bit confusing due to the fact that mothers come in different shapes and sizes.
Patients who I have seen that are already overweight during pregnancy can have second trimester back pain even before 20 weeks. By this time, youve likely gained enough weight that its starting to put stress on your body, resulting in back pain.
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Sit And Stand Up Straight
The myriad changes of pregnancy can wreak havoc on your posture, worsening back pain, says Dr. Hameed. She suggests elongating the spine and trying to stack your pelvis, chest, neck, and head on top of one another.
Keep your shoulders back and down, instructs Dr. Hameed. You may need to tuck in a little bit at the pelvis to reduce lordosis, the inward curving of the spine . Limiting your heel height to 1 to 2 inches may be helpful.
Exercises To Ease Back Pain In Pregnancy
This gentle exercise helps to strengthen stomach muscles, which can ease back pain in pregnancy:
1) Start on all fours with knees under hips, hands under shoulders, fingers facing forwards and stomach muscles lifted to keep your back straight.
2) Pull in your stomach muscles and raise your back up towards the ceiling, letting your head and bum relax downwards gently do not let your elbows lock and only move your back as far as you comfortably can.
3) Hold for a few seconds then slowly return to the box position take care not to hollow your back, it should always return to a straight, neutral position.
4) Do this slowly and rhythmically 10 times, making your muscles work hard and moving your back carefully.
Doing prenatal yoga or aquanatal classes with a qualified instructor can also help build your muscles to better support your back. Ask at your local leisure centre.
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When To Get Help
Talk to your GP or midwife if your back is very painful and affecting your quality of life. You may be referred to a physiotherapist.
Contact your GP urgently if you have back pain and you:
- lose feeling in one or both of your legs, your bum or your genitals
- cannot control the need to pee or poo
- feel the pain is intense at the start of the second or third trimester – this could be a sign of early labour
- have a fever, bleeding from your vagina or pain when you pee
- have pain under your ribs, on one or both sides
- suddenly need to pee very frequently
When To Call Your Doctor
Sometimes back pain during pregnancy is indicating something else is wrong and it is a good idea in some cases to call your doctor right away. Here is what you need to look for when it comes to back pain and warning signs to look for. As always if you have questions always call your doctor for help!
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Squats With Medicine Ball
Squats are a great exercise for building strength and your core, but they’re also a good example of a “primal” action that increases hip mobility and better prepares your body for birthing. Exercise ball squats cushion the lower back and give you extra support as you proceed through the motion if you have lower back pain.
To do squats:
- Place a large exercise ball behind your lower back and lean against a solid wall while standing with your feet hip-width apart or slightly wider .
- Walk your feet forward until they are in line with your toes as you stoop down while bending at the knees.
- As you lower yourself until your knees are at a 90-degree angle, brace your core and push through your heels to return to the starting position.
- Perform 3 sets of 812 reps.
