BACK PAIN DURING PREGNANCY…

Millions of women around the world experience back pain during pregnancy. Usually, it’s one of two types of back pain. The first type is known as PGP, which is an acronym for pelvic girdle pain. This is pain that arises when the pelvic joints are affected.

The second type of pain is more common and arises because of the extra weight the mother is carrying. When there is a child in the tummy, the extra weight in the front, puts pressure on the spine. It makes the back muscles tight, and posture may be compromised too. The ligaments are strained and the back hurts.

The good news is that after pregnancy, the pain will diminish and disappear. However, there are measures that you can take to reduce pregnancy-related back pain.

As they often say, prevention is better than cure. So, it’s best for women to exercise regularly and focus on back and core exercises such as planks, crunches, deadlifts, squats, etc. This will strengthen their body, so that it can withstand the extra weight in the front during a pregnancy.

Of course, this is prior to pregnancy. If you’re already pregnant, and in pain, just follow the tips below.

Always watch your posture

Bad posture is one of the root causes of back pain. The extra weight in front changes your center of gravity. To compensate for this, you should do pelvic tilts often, so that you ease the pressure on your lower back.

Use the right footwear

Forget the high heels and vanity footwear. Get a pair of shoes that provide good support and cushioning.

Sleep correctly

It may be strange to say, ‘sleep correctly’… but it is true. Place a pillow between your legs when you’re sleeping on your side. This will ease pressure on your back. Another tip you should follow is to place a pillow under your belly. When you’re on your side, your swollen tummy will be weighing you down. A support pillow under the tummy will keep things level and balanced without placing tension on your back muscles.

 Do yoga

Certain yoga moves like the cat/cow pose, tabletop, sumo squat, and wide-legged forward bend will help to stretch your back muscles and ease the tension. Another benefit of yoga is that it will improve your blood circulation, and the breathing techniques will oxygenate your blood better. So, you’ll have nutrient-rich blood circulating better around your sore back, and this will alleviate the pain.

Avoid standing for too long

The longer you stand, the more stress your weight places on your back. It’s good to not be in any one position for too long. You must understand that the belly is straining muscles in your back. So, to prevent any one muscle from being strained, it’s best to not be still in one position for too long.

Learn to bend correctly

Ideally, you should learn how to bend and pick up items correctly when you’re pregnant. Going for maternity classes or doing your own research will help you understand how to work with your body so that you don’t end up in pain.

These 6 tips will help most pregnant women reduce the pain in their backs. Besides the methods above, heat and cold treatments will work too. You could give acupressure or acupuncture a try.

Speak to your doctor first before trying anything new. Once you get the ‘go ahead’, you can do what you need to in order to ease your back pain.