3 Tips to Help with Back Pain
3 Tips to Help with Back Pain
Back pain during pregnancy is a fairly common complaint among a lot of mothers-to-be. The pain is often localized to the lower back. However, it may spread to the thighs, buttocks, and legs causing severe discomfort for some.
Backache symptoms usually begin in the second half of your pregnancy and may worsen as your baby continues to grow. However, for most women, the back settles after delivery and isn’t a cause to worry.
Why Do Women Experience Backache During Pregnancy?
There are several reasons that contribute to back pain during pregnancy, these include:
- Hormonal Changes: certain pregnancy hormones and other physical changes, the ligaments, and muscles that support your spine and pelvis may become lax. This is to prepare your body for labor and make room for your baby to grow. This may put a strain on your back, causing pain.
- Weight Gain: most women gain around 25-35 pounds during pregnancy. Since your spine has to bear most of your weight, it can put a strain on it causing the pain.
- Posture Change: the center of your gravity shifts during pregnancy due to your growing belly. This causes a change in posture which eventually causes a strain on your back.
Most often, it is a combination of all three factors and other factors such as pre-existing back problems, decreased bone mineral deficiency, and nutritional deficiencies such as calcium or Vitamin D.
3 Tips To Help With Backache During Pregnancy
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Exercise, Yoga, Chiropractic Care
Certain types of exercise and yoga may help strengthen your back muscles so that you can bear pregnancy weight gain and prevent strain which leads to pain. Yoga also helps alleviate pent-up mental and physical stress in your body so you feel more relaxed and pain-free. Chiropractic care can be a great way to help with back pains as well!
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Heat or Cold Compress
You can try a heat or cold compress for symptomatic relief of pain during pregnancy. Try alternating between hot and cold every 2-3 days to see what feels better and provides more relief.
Just be careful not to apply heat to your abdomen.
- Avoid Factors That Exacerbate the Pain
Avoid anything that may exacerbate your backache. Avoid sitting in a poor posture for a long time, avoid wearing high heels or uncomfortable shoes, and most of all, avoid lifting any heavyweights by bending forward.
If these tips don’t help, consult your healthcare provider to make sure there aren’t any underlying treatable problems causing your backache. Also, be sure to consult your healthcare provider before taking any medications!