Back pain during pregnancy

Back pain

Back pain is a common problem during pregnancy: its prevalence ranges from fifty to seventy percent among pregnant women. It can occur during any period of pregnancy, but it may increase significantly in the later stages of pregnancy due to the growth of the child. Back pain during pregnancy may cause problems and obstacles for the pregnant woman, such as the inability to sleep enough and well. It may also hinder the ability to carry out daily activities.

💢 Causes of back pain when pregnant

There are several reasons for the occurrence of back pain during pregnancy, and the most common causes are:

• Weight Gain: During pregnancy, a woman gains between twenty-five and thirty pounds. This gained weight is considered natural, but it bears the spine: the responsibility to support and carry it. It is natural that the weight of the fetus and uterus: will put pressure on the blood vessels and nerves in the pelvic and back area, causing lower back pain.

• Changes in body position: pregnancy causes a change in the center of gravity in the body, and therefore this leads to a gradual change in the position of the body and the way it moves in order to adapt to that change, which causes stress and pain in the back area.

• Hormonal changes: Relaxin is secreted during pregnancy in order to prepare the body for childbirth; This hormone causes the ligaments to relax: in the pelvic area, but it may also loosen the ligaments of the spine, causing back pain.

• Muscle separation: the muscles that extend from the rib cage area to the pubic bone separate from the middle due to the increase in the size of the uterus and its expansion, and this separation may lead to worsening back pain.

• Feeling tense: feeling tense causes tension in the back muscles, which results in back pain. Thus, it can be said that back pain increases with increasing tension.

💢 Practices to relieve back pain during pregnancy

Among the practices that can be followed to relieve back pain when pregnant:

Exercising: Exercising helps relieve and relieve back pain, but before starting to exercise, it is necessary to consult a doctor. Among the exercises usually used are walking, and weight exercises that help strengthen the muscles of the back, legs, and abdomen; Stretching exercises increase the flexibility of the muscles of the back and feet, but care must be taken when doing them; Exercising quickly or intensely may cause increased joint stress, and practicing yoga may also help, in addition to swimming as it strengthens the abdominal muscles and lower back muscles and relieves joint and ligament stress, and pelvic tilt exercises that relieve lower back pain. By lengthening and strengthening the muscles of that area.

Maintaining a proper body position: such as standing and sitting straight and moderately, using a footrest, in addition to using a pillow placed under the back, not continuing to sit or standing for long and continuous periods, and making sure to use comfortable shoes that contain bending of the feet. The weights must be distributed when carrying them and be sure to carry them in a bent position by bending the knees to relieve stress on the back area.

Sleeping sideways: placing a pillow between the legs and another pillow to support and support the abdominal area. In addition to bending the knees and thighs when leaving the bed, use the arms to support and push the body upward.

The use of heat or cold: where there is some evidence of a short-term effect of heat in relieving and removing pain and cold can also be used when pain does not respond to heat despite the lack of sufficient evidence of the effectiveness of cold in this. But be sure to cover the compresses used, whether cold or hot, with a piece of cloth in order to protect the skin and skin.

Massage and relaxation: the massage process helps relieve pain and increase the feeling of relaxation, and relaxation helps relieve back pain when sleeping.

💢 Therapeutic measures to relieve back pain in a pregnant woman.

 If the pain persists despite following previous practices, the attending physician must be informed; To assess the situation and prescribe appropriate treatment, and remedial measures that can be taken:

Acupuncture:

The physical treatment:

Manual therapy for the spine and joints: Although there is not much evidence of its effectiveness in relieving back pain during pregnancy.

Using a belt in the sacrum area: Although some women respond to it in relieving pain when walking, it may cause an increase in pain in others.

Use of some medications as prescribed by the doctor, in cases of severe back pain.

Back pain after giving birth

Some women may feel pain in the lower back during labor and childbirth, although most women may suffer from a slight pain in the back area during the birth process, about a quarter of women suffer from severe lower back pain during labor and childbirth: which is what most women try to avoid it. This pain intensifies during contractions: it is often painful during the extended period during contractions as well, and this type of labor is characterized by irregular contractions most of the time, slow progression and progression, in addition to an increase in the length of the stage of pushing the child during childbirth. Among the most important causes of it is the position of the fetus inside the womb; The orientation of the fetus's face towards the mother's abdomen may increase the possibility of this type of labor, and some research has indicated that women who suffer from back pain during menstruation are more likely to occur, regardless of the position of the fetus.