Pregnancy is a beautiful experience, but back pain during and after pregnancy can be very discomforting. Around 60-70 % of women experience moderate to severe kind of back pain during the pregnancy especially during the third trimester, so it is nothing to worry about. But you should be very careful, and you must take effective measures to cure such pain. Back pain can hamper your daily work and routine, you might feel irritated, and it can also interfere with your sleeping pattern. Though back pain is very common among pregnant women, it must not be ignored as you need to take care of every little thing during pregnancy.
Some of the major causes of the pain are weight gain, hormone changes, stress and anxiety and shifting of the center of gravity due to increase in the baby bump. These factors greatly escalate back pain in pregnant women, but it can surely be tackled. Physiotherapy is one of the best tried and tested ways to cure back pain among pregnant women. It has been in trend for years, and mostly, every pregnant woman likes getting therapies from a well-qualified physiotherapist during their trimesters. It is always recommended to start your physiotherapy since the starting of your pregnancy as you will start seeing results from the beginning.
City Physiotherapy is one of the leading physiotherapy centers in Sydney, Australia. It offers various types of sessions for pregnant women depending on the severity and requirement of the client. While physiotherapy is one of the most conventional and beneficial ways to cure a backache in pregnant women, there is a number of the tips that you can consider to get rid of this pain. So, let us have a look at these tips that can help you in getting relief from backache.
- Practice good posture
During pregnancy as the baby grows the baby bump starts increasing as well. The growth of the baby bump shifts the center of gravity forward. This is the reason you tend to lean backward which cause pressure and strain in the back muscles, and as a result, you start getting back pain. Maintaining a good posture helps in getting rid of the pain. All you need to do is stand up straight and keep the rest of your body relaxed. Maintaining a good posture while sitting is also important, you can always use a pillow for your back to keep it relaxed.
- Proper shoes
It is very important to avoid high heels during pregnancy not only there are chances of you falling, but they also strain your spine. Flats or shoes without heels are good for daily use. Get good quality footwear that gives you a nice grip and friction.
- Sleeping position
Sleeping in a bad way can put a lot of pressure on your back and unnecessarily strain your spine. During pregnancy, you need to get an adequate amount of sleep. But it is also imperative to sleep in a manner that relaxes your back muscles and spine. Avoid using mattresses that are of poor quality. Sleeping sideways is a good way to avoid pressure on the back. Many women also use a pillow to get that extra support for their back which is very helpful. You can use a pillow in many ways:
- Place the pillow in between your legs to get extra support.
- You can also place the pillow behind your abdomen to support the weight of your uterus.
- Place a pillow behind your back to get an additional support
- Hot and cold massage
Before trying this, you must always take advice from your doctor and if he/she recommends it then only try it as it may or may not suit everybody especially when you are pregnant. Using moderately hot massages to cure your back pain can be very relaxing. You can even use cold massage to treat back pain depending upon what you like and what month of the year it is. You can first place cold compresses on the area that has pain for about 15-20 minutes thrice or more times in a day. After few cold treatments for a day or so shift to hot massages. You can use hot water bottles or heating pads. Please make sure to never use it on the abdomen.
- Exercise more frequently
These days there are special workout classes that are designed specifically for pregnant ladies. You can join classes or even find tutorials on YouTube. These exercises are specially designed to increase abdominal and core strength which helps in relieving back pain. These exercises aim at reducing spinal stress which ultimately helps in reducing pain. All these exercises are moderate and require less energy and vigor to complete so relax and start today. Perform different exercises regularly for better vaginal health and stretchability.
Exercising is also helpful in increasing flexibility which aids a healthy and normal pregnancy. Exercises like yoga, stationary cycling, brisk walking and mat Pilates are very useful.
- Additional therapies
Consult your gynecologist regarding additional therapies like acupuncture and physiotherapy. If he/she regards it safe, you can proceed further.
Acupuncture: acupuncture is typically used since years to cure and relieve back pain. It is widely used across the world by pregnant ladies to get rid of moderate to severe pain.
Physiotherapy: Physiotherapy is also used by pregnant ladies to treat back pain it is one of the most effective therapies that target pregnancy-related back pain, strain in the spine, abdominal pain, and pelvic related pain. Different therapy sessions target different types of pain.
- Taken proper care of your back
The most important part of avoiding and reducing back pain is taking proper care of your back. For a fact, back takes the most amount of pressure during pregnancy. As the baby tends to growranksyou start leaning backward to support the baby bump and also to avoid falling due to shifting in the center of gravity. All this causes severe pressure on the back as well as spineexplicitly designedand it starts paining due to excessive pressure.
Taking care of your back during pregnancy helps in getting rid of discomforts and pain. It is always important to not bend with your legs straight. And it is always recommended to kneel down or squat and keep your back straight while picking up things to avoid strain or pressure.