Almost every pregnant woman will experience low back pain during pregnancy. It is just part of the pregnancy experience. Low back pain during pregnancy could be experienced for a variety of reasons. It shouldn�t be a surprise given the massive amount of changes that happen to a woman�s body while she is pregnant. Growing a person isn�t exactly a simple activity.
During a woman�s pregnancy, her uterus expands like a shrinky dink and her hormones go insane. The biggest hormonal change is the sudden surge in progesterone production. Progesterone, while obviously very important to the overall health of your pregnancy, is not very good for your back. Progesterone softens the ligaments and the spinal discs located in a woman�s back. These discs and ligaments are what support the pregnant woman�s body weight. Sometimes during early pregnancy, the low back pain is accompanied by painful muscle spasms and cramps.
Another reason for low back pain during pregnancy is the constant expansion of the uterus. As the uterus grows and the baby growing inside of it gets bigger, the mother-to-be�s centre of gravity will shift. In some women the uterus puts some pressure on the nerves in the spine and stretches her abdominal muscles which can cause them to weaken. The expectant mother�s posture will change and there is some obvious strain that gets put onto the muscles of her back.
Low back pain during pregnancy could easily be prevented. Pregnant women will want to schedule two activities into their daily routines: a period of resting and an exercise routine. It sounds as if these would cancel each other out, but they are both vitally important to the overall health of the mother and her back. Resting does not necessarily have to involve sleeping. It is important, though, that the mother to be spends some time every day just lying down and resting. It is best if she lies on her side and supports the muscles of her back by putting a pillow between her legs. This takes some of her body weight off of her back muscles. Exercising needn�t be vigorous. A simple walk around the block accompanied by a gentle yoga routine (there are a number of yoga routines designed specifically for pregnant women) each day is sufficient. What is important is that your back muscles get used and get time to heal every day.
In the event that you experience low back pain during pregnancy, you should call your doctor. While low back pain during pregnancy is certainly not an anomaly (fifty percent of pregnant women will experience it), it is always best to have any aches or pains checked out by your doctor. Your doctor will examine you and do a few tests to make sure that the low back pain isn�t an indicator of a more serious problem and then he or she will make a recommendation for the treatment of that low back pain. All that�s left for you is to follow your doctor�s instructions and grow that person!
Hip and Lower Back Pain Tip #1
Back pain is one of the most common forms of bodily pain. It is estimated that eight in ten people will be affected by back pain. Amazingly, back pain is one of the easiest injuries to prevent. |
Hip and Lower Back Pain Tip #2
Believe it or not, cigarette smoking can increase a person�s risk of developing lower back pain and sciatica. What�s more, smoking can prolong the healing process which means that back injuries, surgery and bones will cause pain for a longer period of time. |
Hip and Lower Back Pain Tip #3
The best thing a person can do to keep his or her back healthy is to get regular exercise. In addition to a few muscle specific exercises that can be found by way of a simple web search, it has been proven that exercises geared toward balance and strength (like yoga) can help a person decrease his or her risk of falling and causing injury to the back muscles. |
