Back pain during pregnancy or any otherdiscomfort is very common, and in most cases they should be expected. May occur at any time of pregnancy; but more often it happens later, when the child reaches a significant weight.
Pain in the back can disrupt the daily life or prevent a good sleep. The good news is that you can take action to deal with it.
How common are back pain during pregnancy?
The pain in the back and in the lumbar region of pregnancy occurs in a large number of women. Basically, seventy percent of the fairer sex women who are waiting for the baby suffer such a problem.
What causes back pain during an interesting situation?
Back pain during pregnancy is associated witha number of factors. Some women begin to have back pain in the early stages of waiting for the baby. Women who are overweight or who suffer from this problem before conception are more at risk of discomfort.
Here is a list of potential causes of back pain:
- An increase in the number of hormones - hormones,released during pregnancy, act on the ligaments in the pelvic region, and the joints become more free in preparation for the birth. This shift in the joints and loosening of the ligaments can affect the back.
- Center of gravity - it will gradually shift forward as the uterus and the baby grow, which causes the position to change.
- Additional weight - developing pregnancy and child create additional weight, which the back must withstand, but it does not always cope with it.
- Position - a bad posture, excessive flexion can cause or exacerbate back pain.
How to prevent or reduce back pain during pregnancy?
Back pain during pregnancy can not be completely prevented, but there are things that a woman can do to reduce the severity or frequency of appearance.
Here are a few steps that you can take to reduce pain in the back:
1. Practice proper posture.When the child grows, the center of gravity shifts forward. To avoid falling forward, you need to compensate for this, leaning back, which can strain the muscles in the lower back and promote back pain during pregnancy. It is necessary to observe these principles of good posture:
- To go straight.
- Keep your chest high.
- Keep your shoulders back and relaxed.
- Do not bend your knees.
- When a woman is standing, you need to use a comfortable wide position for better support.
- Good posture also means sitting with care. Always it is worth to sit down not on a stool, but on a chair that supports the back, or put a small pillow at the waist.
2. The right shoes.Wear low-heeled shoes - not flat - with good arch support. Avoid high heels, which can further shift the balance of the body forward and lead to problems with the back.
3. Also consider wearing a belt for pregnant women. Although studies of the effectiveness of such belts are limited, some women find them useful.
4. Pick up items correctly.Lifting a small object, squat and bend your legs. It is also important to know your limitations. If a woman needs something to raise, then it is better to turn to someone for help.
5. Sleep on the side. Sleep on your side, not on your back. Keep your knees bent. It is also possible to use pillows between the bent knees, under the stomach and behind the back.
6. Heat, cold. While evidence proving their effectiveness is limited, the use of a warmer or ice pack on the back can help.
Physical activity in everyday life
Regular physical activity can preserveback healthy and ease back pain during pregnancy. For example, walking or water exercises. A physiotherapist can also show stretches and exercises that can help.
How can I take off the pain?
Quickly remove the pain will help:
- Back massage. It can be done both independently (with two hands to knead your lower back), and trust the massage specialist.
- Bandage. It helps maintain the abdomen, thereby reducing the burden on the back.
- Pillow. Special rollers are placed under the belly during sleep.
- Pool.If there is no threat of termination of pregnancy, then the future mother should pay attention to visiting the pool. It relaxes the muscles of the back, improves breathing, blood circulation and speeds up the metabolism.
- Medications. This includes pills, gels, ointments from back pain during pregnancy.
Additional therapies
Some studies show thatAcupuncture can reduce back pain during pregnancy. Chiropractic will provide comfort for women. However, further research is needed. If you consider additional therapy, you need to discuss it with your doctor. Be sure to tell the chiropractor or acupuncturist about your situation.
Timely consultation with your doctor
If a woman has severe back pain duringpregnancy or back pain, which lasts more than two weeks, she needs to speak with her doctor. He can recommend medicines such as "Acetaminophen" (Tylenol, others) or other treatments.
Keep in mind that pain in the lower back duringpregnancy can be a sign of premature birth or urinary tract infection. If the discomfort of a woman in a position is accompanied by vaginal bleeding, fever or burning during urination, she should immediately contact a doctor.
Yoga during pregnancy
If the back hurts during pregnancy, why not use one more method? The best way to both relieve pain and prevent pain is yoga. Regular classes:
- Relieve or completely eliminate back pain.
- Contribute to the prevention and reduction of edema (almost habitual companions of pregnancy).
- Prevent varicose veins.
- Improve blood circulation.
- Maintain an optimal body tone:gently strengthen the muscles of the pelvis, abdomen, back, improve the elasticity of ligaments and muscle tissue. And this is the preparation of the body for the upcoming birth and the relief of postpartum recovery.
- Fill with a feeling of vigor and strength.
- Optimize the immune system.
- Protect from disease.
Will yoga help everyone?
It is important to know:
- If a pregnant mother is not an experienced yoga practitioner, then from classes should abstain until 12 weeks of pregnancy.
- Если мама занималась йогой регулярно по крайней at least 1 year before pregnancy, then, despite the state of health, can continue to practice (even in the first trimester), taking into account the particular practice of the pregnant woman (certain exercises and techniques are excluded).
Yoga classes for pregnant women with differentPhysical training does not have fundamental differences: the same restrictions and requirements. Mummies with better physical training can practice asanas longer.
Перед занятиями йогой стоит посоветоваться с a doctor whose pregnant woman is on the register. Today, experts increasingly note the importance of yoga during pregnancy, because it not only prevents back pain, but also improves the overall condition of the body.
Yoga from back pain
Below are the best exercises that are applied if the back is pulled during pregnancy:
- Back in static.In this posture, the force of attraction is used, the hips and trunk are placed on the same plane. This helps relieve pain in the lower back. Lie on your back, relax your hands, lower them along the body and put your legs bent at the knees, on the pillow or sofa so that the shins are parallel to the ground. Knees should form an angle of 90 degrees with the trunk, the neck is relaxed. Hold this position for at least five minutes.
- Outside the bridge.This exercise helps to lengthen the muscles of the spine and thighs. Lie on your back, legs bent at the knees, placed at a distance of about a palm to the buttocks. Put a pillow between your knees. Feet on the width of the shoulders. While lifting your hips up, hold the cushion with your knees. Do not strain your neck. Hold for 15 seconds, relax and repeat this position 3-4 more times.
- Feet along the wall.In order to relax your shoulders, you must lie on your back against the wall and place a block for yoga under your waist. Raise your legs up so that the heels rest against the wall. Keep your hands open and relaxed on the sides.
- On shoulders.Like the previous pose, but to remove the block for yoga from under the back and rest against the wall in such a way that the hips will rise to the level of the face. As a result, an even line is formed from the knees to the shoulders. This position allows you to get rid of the burden of the body, which takes on the lower back.
- Pose of the child.The child's posture relaxes the sacrum and lower back, slowing the heart rate. Substitute the roller or pillow between the knees and arrange them, the toes touch each other. Sit with your hips on your feet and relax your chest on the platen for support. Turn your head one way and breathe deeply. Stay in this position for as long as comfortable, alternating head positions in the opposite direction.
Yoga for prevention of back pain
If in the early stages of pregnancy the back hurts, and for prevention in general, you can do the following exercises:
- "Hero". To sit on a pillow, knees are connected, and feet apart. Straighten the feet, so that the little fingers on their feet touch the floor. Straighten up and raise your hands, taking palms with opposite elbows.
- "A cat and a cow".This posture facilitates bilateral bending and extension of the spine, while gravity loads the shoulders and hip joints. Stand in the position of the table and put your hands directly under your shoulders, and your knees right under your hips. Inhale and look forward, exhale and lower your head.
- Slopes forward with the touch of the toes. Connect the toes, the heels apart to relax the lower back. Bend forward with arms bent at the elbows. To reach for the toes.
- Lunge forward.Make a deep lunge forward with your left foot. The right hand touches the floor, the palm is turned back (thus the shoulders go back). The left arm extends to the floor above the knee. The upper part of the body lies on the knee, thus extending the spine. Repeat with the other leg.
- Turning the torso sitting.This position allows you to stretch the thoracic muscles with the help of the rotation of the body. Straighten one leg and bend the other. The feet are directed forward, and the knee is up. Turn to the side of the bent knee, hug him with the help of the opposite hand. The other hand is put behind for balance.
- "Pose of wisdom."This exercise helps to expand the lumbar spine and develops a full range of motion in the hip joints. Sit flat. Bend the left leg in the knee, the right is stretched out in front of him. The foot of the left foot touches the knee of the right foot. Put your right hand on your left knee, left arm behind, for balance. Twist the body to the left, the head at the same time turns to the right. Repeat for the opposite side.
Before any treatment, be it a back massage or yoga, an obstetrician-gynecologist should be consulted.
