Pregnancy Related Back Pain Solution

Pregnancy is a time of immense and diverse changes in the body of a woman with no two pregnancies the same. Just one of many changes will be a significant weight gain that can add load to the spine both in kilograms and in direction of load.

For some women this will cause a lot of pain and discomfort. The good news is that in most cases this is very manageable with some Chiropractic care and advice.

Chiropractic care for back pain during pregnancy is safe and effective. Techniques are adapted and modified to make sure you care is comfortable with no risk to your growing baby or you.

How did I get pregnancy-related back pain?

There can be a number of contributing factors to why you may get back pain during your pregnancy;

• Weight Gain; There will be a huge range of weight gains depending on many factors with the average being 12kg but it can be as little as 8 kg or as much as 20 kg’s. In addition to sheer weight gain some pain is possible due to the uterine support ligaments of the pelvis that with increased load can produce back and pelvis pain.
• Posture Change; A major contributor to posture is our centre of gravity. The weight gain of pregnancy moves the centre of gravity of most women in a forward direction. To compensate for this the women will lean back a bit which places new loads on the spinal structures with the potential for pain.
• Hormonal Change; Relaxin is a hormone we think of in pregnancy. What is less known is we produce it all the time for many body functions. Men and women alike! However its levels are higher in pregnancy and it performs several crucial functions. One result of relaxin may be that the ligaments that support the spine and pelvis may become a little lax and so we lose stability which can contribute to pain and muscle fatigue.
• Muscle Separation; The large abdominal muscle group may separate between the rib cage and the pubic bone and so cause some loss of spinal support. This can be more troublesome with subsequent pregnancies.

How can pregnancy-related pain present?

The pain typically is in the very lower back of your back and may also include the pubic symphysis at the front of your pelvis. Mostly the pain will be a constant low grade ache that improves if you can arrange rest periods during the day.

Instability of the pubic symphysis can however be very debilitating and needs to be addressed.

There is much that can be done with your chiropractic care including;

• Joint mobilization and soft-tissue work
• Taping
• Exercise prescription, yoga and pilates
• Posture training
• Belts and aids