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Back Pain in Pregnancy: Understanding the Reasons and the Remedies



During pregnancy, the ligaments in your body naturally become softer and stretch to prepare you for labour. This can put a strain on the joints of your lower back and pelvis, which can cause back pain.


If your backache is very painful, talk to your GP or midwife. They may be able to refer you to an obstetric physiotherapist at your hospital, who can give you advice and may suggest some helpful exercises.




Back Pain in Pregnancy



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 (Tylenol) is safe for most women to take during pregnancy. Aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) or naproxen (Aleve) are not advised. In some cases, your doctor may recommend other pain medicines or muscle relaxants that are safe during pregnancy.


In rare cases, severe back pain may be related to problems such as pregnancy-associated osteoporosis, vertebral osteoarthritis, or septic arthritis. Rhythmic pains may be a sign of preterm labor. So if you are experiencing any of these problems, it's important to be checked by your doctor.


Backache is one of the most common pregnancy problems, especially in the later months. The pain usually goes away after the baby is born. But for many women, back pain lingers for months after giving birth.


The abdominal muscles support the spine and play an important role in the health of the back. During pregnancy, these muscles stretch and weaken. These changes also can increase your risk of hurting your back during exercise.


Yes, pregnancy hormones can contribute to back pain. To prepare for the passage of the baby through the birth canal, a hormone relaxes the ligaments in the joints of your pelvis to make them more flexible. Back pain can occur if the joints become too flexible.


There are several things you can do to prevent or ease back pain. For example, wear supportive clothing and shoes. Pay attention to your position when sitting, sleeping, and lifting things. If you need to stand for a long time, rest one foot on a stool or a box to take the strain off your back. You also can use heat or cold to soothe sore muscles.


Look for an abdominal support garment (for sale in maternity stores and catalogs). It looks like a girdle and helps take the weight of your belly off your back muscles. Also, some maternity pants come with a wide elastic band that fits under the curve of your belly to help support its weight.


Sleeping on your side is best later in pregnancy. Keep one or both knees bent. It also may help to place a pillow between your knees and another under your belly. You also can try a full-length body pillow.


You can use a heating pad or warm water bottle for painful back muscles. Heating pads should be set at the lowest possible temperature setting. Wrap your heating pad or warm water bottle in a towel to help prevent burns. Cold compresses also can help ease pain. Limit the time you use heat or cold.


Back pain can be a sign of some pregnancy complications. For example, back pain can be a symptom of preterm labor. Pain also can be a sign of a urinary tract infection (UTI). Contact your ob-gyn or other obstetric care provider if, in addition to back pain, you:


Before doing any exercises, talk with your ob-gyn or other obstetric care provider to make sure they are safe for you. Exercising should not cause pain. If you have pain, stop doing the exercise. See Exercise During Pregnancy for more exercise tips.


If you have no complications that prevent you from doing so, staying active during pregnancy reduces back pain and increases your ability to go about your daily activities. Always talk with your ob-gyn or other obstetric care provider before starting or changing an exercise program during pregnancy.


Complications: Diseases or conditions that happen as a result of another disease or condition. An example is pneumonia that occurs as a result of the flu. A complication also can occur as a result of a condition, such as pregnancy. An example of a pregnancy complication is preterm labor.


Some research suggests that acupuncture might relieve back pain during pregnancy. Chiropractic treatment might provide comfort for some women as well. However, further research is needed. If you're considering a complementary therapy, discuss it with your health care provider. Be sure to tell the chiropractor or acupuncturist that you are pregnant.


If you have severe back pain during pregnancy or back pain that lasts more than two weeks, talk to your health care provider. He or she might recommend medication such as acetaminophen (Tylenol, others) or other treatments.


Keep in mind that back pain during pregnancy might be a sign of preterm labor or a urinary tract infection. If you have back pain during pregnancy that's accompanied by vaginal bleeding, fever or burning during urination, contact your health care provider right away.


One of the most common complaints during pregnancy is back pain. In fact, it's estimated that more than half of all women experience some degree of back discomfort. Most back pain is related to the physical changes that happen during pregnancy, including hormones, changes in the center of gravity, and posture. Unfortunately, it typically gets worse as pregnancy progresses.


Throughout pregnancy, hormones affect a woman's muscles and joints. The hormones relaxin and progesterone relax muscles and loosen ligaments and joints, especially in the pelvic area. The extra weight and body changes in pregnancy along with these loosened joints and ligaments can cause discomfort and even lead to injury.


As your uterus grows and becomes heavier, your center of gravity changes. This can lead to problems with balance and the potential for falls. The weight of your baby and weakening of belly muscles pulls your lower spine forward, adding strain to back muscles. Many women respond by leaning back in an awkward posture. This increases back strain and pain.


Prevention and treatment of back pain are important to avoid injury and to decrease the chance for long-term or chronic back pain. Because back pain in pregnancy can be a symptom of more serious problems, like preterm labor, always talk with your healthcare provider if symptoms are severe or last longer than 2 weeks.


Another hormone that doctors call relaxin helps the egg to implant in the uterus wall, and also prevents contractions during the early stages of pregnancy. As labor nears, relaxin stimulates the cervix to soften and open in preparation for delivery.


During pregnancy, the body also produces the hormone relaxin, which helps prepare the body for childbirth. One of the effects of relaxin is the loosening of ligaments throughout the body, making pregnant women less stable and more prone to injury, especially in their backs.


Back pain also can be a sign of something else, like labor starting or a urinary tract infection (UTI). If you have any questions or concerns, severe pain, pain that isn't getting better, or other symptoms, talk to your doctor.


Background: More than two-thirds of pregnant women experience back pain and almost one-fifth experience pelvic pain. The pain increases with advancing pregnancy and interferes with work, daily activities and sleep.


Main results: We found no studies dealing specifically with prevention of back or pelvic pain. We included eight studies (1305 participants) that examined the effects of adding various pregnancy-specific exercises, physiotherapy, acupuncture and pillows to usual prenatal care. For women with low-back pain, participating in strengthening exercises, sitting pelvic tilt exercises (standardised mean difference (SMD) -5.34; 95% confidence interval (CI) -6.40 to -4.27), and water gymnastics reduced pain intensity and back pain-related sick leave (relative risk (RR) 0.40; 95% CI 0.17 to 0.92) better than usual prenatal care alone. The specially-designed Ozzlo pillow was more effective than a regular one in relieving back pain (RR 1.84; 95% CI 1.32 to 2.55), but is no longer commercially available. Both acupuncture and stabilising exercises relieved pelvic pain more than usual prenatal care. Acupuncture gave more relief from evening pain than exercises. For women with both pelvic and back pain, in one study, acupuncture was more effective than physiotherapy in reducing the intensity of their pain; stretching exercises resulted in more total pain relief (60%) than usual care (11%); and 60% of those who received acupuncture reported less intense pain, compared to 14% of those receiving usual prenatal care. Women who received usual prenatal care reported more use of analgesics, physical modalities and sacroiliac belts.


Authors' conclusions: All but one study had moderate to high potential for bias, so results must be viewed cautiously. Adding pregnancy-specific exercises, physiotherapy or acupuncture to usual prenatal care appears to relieve back or pelvic pain more than usual prenatal care alone, although the effects are small. We do not know if they actually prevent pain from starting in the first place. Water gymnastics appear to help women stay at work. Acupuncture shows better results compared to physiotherapy.


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.


You are not alone if you experience back pain during your pregnancy. The prevalence varies with reports showing between 50 to 70 percent of pregnant women experiencing back pain.


Back pain during pregnancy is related to a number of factors. Some women begin to have lower back pain with the onset of pregnancy. Women who are most at risk for back pain are those who are overweight or had back pain prior to pregnancy.Here is a list of potential causes of back pain or discomfort during pregnancy: 2ff7e9595c


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