Are you experience back pain during your pregnancy? You are not alone! As many as 50 to 70% of pregnant women experience them at some point in their pregnancy. By knowing the deeper cause of your back pain in pregnancy, you will cope with them easily. We’ve gathered tips that may help to relieve your back pain so that you feel strong and comfortable in your body again.
Back Pain in Pregnancy
Causes of back pain during pregnancy, how to deal with them, back pain relief, and prevention!
During the pregnancy, the center of the body’s mass changes, there is more pressure on the organs, and there is increased weight to be carried. Therefore, it is not surprising that pregnant women face various problems and pains, including back pain.
The most common is lower back pain, which is, in most cases, not dangerous. However, this does not mean that you have to suffer. There are many ways, simple tricks, and natural remedies that can alleviate the pain.
Of course, any more severe pain needs to be taken seriously, as ignoring the problems that occur in pregnancy can lead to worsening after birth. Talk to your health care provider before starting any new exercise or taking medication during pregnancy!
What is the cause of back pain during pregnancy?
Most women with back pain during pregnancy had been already facing this pain at least once before pregnancy. Their problems started earlier due to poor posture, improper sitting, lifting, the nature of their work, etc.
However, some pregnant women haven’t had such problems before. And the cause of their back pain is usually pregnancy hormones, mainly the hormone relaxin.
The hormone relaxin loosens ligaments and muscles and sometimes leads to unstable joints. Due to the elasticity of the ligaments, the joint in the pelvis (sacroiliac joint) may slightly slip, causing lower back pain in pregnancy.
Another cause of back pain during pregnancy is also an incorrect lifting, improper sitting, and a growing belly in the late pregnancy.
Additional weight puts a lot of pressure on the joints of your lower back and pelvis, causing you back pain in the late pregnancy again. To relieve the low back pain in the last months of pregnancy, pay attention to a proper posture, rest, and try to avoid hard work.
Possible cause of back pain in pregnancy:
- Poor posture before pregnancy
- The body is preparing for the birth by loosening ligaments
- Improper lifting before and during pregnancy
- Poor sitting posture
- The weight of the pregnant belly puts additional pressure on the spine and increases the size of the hollow in your lower back
How to relieve pregnancy back pain?
You can minor the pain by mild training of appropriate muscles in your back and pelvis. But you need to be careful, talk with a specialist, and not overdo it. Special back exercises or light yoga for pregnant women can help you to have the pain under control.
There are also other things you can do to help you cope with a backache, such as using heating pads, a pregnancy belt, proper sitting, etc.
- Exercises
- Heating Pads
- Pregnancy Belt
- Other tips for back pain relief
1. Exercises to reduce back pain during pregnancy
Low back pain can be efficiently eliminated or reduced, but all exercises must be supervised or guided by a physiotherapist trained to work with pregnant women. Only safe exercises can increase the pelvis strength and stability, physical endurance, and correct posture throughout and after pregnancy.
With proper guidance, it is possible to eliminate or reduce pain in just a few days. However, it is also necessary to further follow professional direction, or back pain may recur.
To relieve pregnancy back pain caused by hormonal changes:
Pregnant women should perform exercises for torso and pelvis stabilization. Regular training will ensure the joints’ stability, which will reduce the chance of back pain.
Pregnant women who have had back problems before:
Pregnant women should primarily focus on regular exercise for posture correction. Most of them have an increased lumbar lordosis, where the lumbar region of the spine arches too far inward. With a regular workout and conscious posture change, they can reduce it to an appropriate size (approximately the thickness of the palm), which reduces the pain.
2. Heating of the affected part
A pregnant woman can also help herself by heating a painful area. The heat relaxes the muscles and tissues and releases cramps. Warm your lower back with a heating pad or take a relaxing warm bath.
An easy homemade heating pad for relieving low back pain during pregnancy:
What do you need?
- an old clean sock
- uncooked rice, corn, barley, or oatmeal
- something to tie or sew the sock shut
Steps:
- Fill at least half or three-quarters of the sock with one of the fillers.
- It must retain flexibility, so do not overfill it. As such, it can mold itself to the shape of your body.
- Tie or sew the sock shut.
- Heat it in the microwave for 1–2 minutes.
3. Pregnancy Support Belt
In late pregnancy, it is also advisable to wear a pregnancy support belt, which will relieve the pressure of the baby’s weight on the pregnant woman’s spine.
A pregnancy belt wraps around the belly and waist, which lessen the burden of pregnancy weight. It supports the lower back by redistributing the pressure more evenly and minimizing spinal strain, which reduces the back pain.
4. Other tips that may help ease back pain in pregnancy
- Properly guided pregnancy yoga may prevent or alleviate back pain. Practicing yoga can also help you sleep better and relax your mind and muscles.
- Studies have shown a direct link between acupuncture and the relief of pregnant back pain. Many women also testify in its favor. But it must be done correctly, otherwise, side effects such as nausea, headache, and excessive stimulation that can trigger childbirth may occur. Talk to your doctor and make sure acupuncture is the right choice for you and find a therapist who has a certificate and experience working with pregnant women.
- If the back pain results from muscle contraction, a certified massage therapist can bring quick relief to back pain.
- Unlike yoga and massage, meditation is a technique that you can practice anytime, anywhere, without having to pre-order. Meditation has a calming response to the body. When stress is controlled, its toxic effects are less. With regular meditation, you can also minor your pain, which can come in handy when dealing with back pain and labor pains.
- Swimming and gentle water exercise are some of the most recommended forms of exercise for pregnant women. They take away the pressure from the back, resulting in less pain.
- Sleep on your side and use a firm mattress.
How to avoid low back pain in pregnancy?
The following tips may help you avoid or prevent the recurrence of low back pain during pregnancy:
- When turning around, do not twist in the spine, but move your feet.
- Work on a high enough surface that you do not have to bend.
- Do not lift heavy objects.
- When lifting, do not bend, but do it from a squat.
- Wear comfortable and flat shoes to distribute weight evenly.
- Avoid standing or sitting for long periods.
- Sit properly, with a back straight.
- Rest!
How should a pregnant woman lift things so that her spine does not suffer?
When lifting objects off the ground, most people turn their feet outward and their knees inward and forward, resulting in a curved back.
Proper and the safest lifting is when the back stays straight. Feet are aligned, knees are open, and the object is picked from the squat with a straight back.
How to sit properly at the computer to avoid low back pain during pregnancy?
Most people sit too much and for too long. There is more and more back pain, pain in hips, muscles, etc. Therefore, proper sitting is very important, especially for pregnant women.
When sitting on a chair, do not lean back and do not sit on the back of the buttocks. Extend your knees, never squeezing them together. Sit on the front of the sciatic bones while the tailbone and sacrum are free. This way, you do not shrink the birth canal or shorten the uterine ligaments, and the spine is nicely aligned. It is even better to lift the back with a pillow or a rolled-up towel.
You can lift one leg and place your foot on the other, but make sure your spine stays straighten and the position of the other leg is still correct. Never squeeze your legs together or have them crossed.
Most people sit too much and for too long, which causes the back pain, pain in hips, muscles, etc. Therefore, proper sitting is very important, especially for pregnant women.