Lower Back Pain During Pregnancy – Causes, Treatments & Relief Exercises

As you start the journey of pregnancy, you will undergo a lot of changes; both emotionally and physically. Some changes may be subtle, some more obvious and some will cause you problems. One such common problem is lower or upper back pain. Back pain is one of the most common symptoms that pregnant women complain of. In some women, it starts early in pregnancy and remains as they progress through the nine months. In other women, it worsens and continues to hinder them even after the baby is born. Some women experience upper back pain during pregnancy, while some experience lowers back pain.

Causes of Lower Back Pain in Pregnancy

There are many possible reasons why lower back pain happens in pregnancy. Here are some of the more likely causes...

• Weight Gain: During a healthy pregnancy, women typically gain between 25 and 35 pounds. The spine has to support that weight. That can cause lower back pain. The weight of the growing baby and uterus also puts pressure on the blood vessels and nerves in the pelvis and back

• Posture Changes: Pregnancy shifts your center of gravity. As a result, you may gradually -- even without noticing -- begin to adjust your posture and the way you move. This may result in back pain or strain

• Hormone Changes: In pregnancy, your body makes a hormone called relaxin that allows ligaments in the pelvic area to relax and the joints to become looser in preparation for the birth process. The same hormone can cause ligaments that support the spine to loosen, leading to instability and pain

• Muscle Separation: As the uterus expands, two parallel sheets of muscles (the rectal abdominal muscles), which run from the rib cage to the pubic bone, may separate along the center seam. This separation may worsen back pain

• Stress: Emotional stress can cause muscle tension in the back, which may be felt as back pain or back spasms. You may find that you experience an increase in back pain during stressful periods of your pregnancy. [Read - 7 Simple Ways to Cope-up with Indigestion During Pregnancy]

Prevention of Lower Back Pain

Studies have found that lower back pain severity keeps increasing with the progress of the pregnancy. Lower back pain could affect the quality of life in the third trimester of pregnancy than the first three months. Therefore, Starting physical exercises early in the pregnancy is more useful than treatment in controlling lower back pain in later stages.

Though, the best thing to do is stay physically active in general, and maintain healthy body weight even before pregnancy. Exercises that strengthen abdominal, back and pelvic muscles increase your capacity to bear the increased weight as the pregnancy progresses. Other than that, low-intensity exercises during the first and second trimester of pregnancy help a lot in relieving back pain in the third trimester of pregnancy. Following are a few exercises you can try early on in the pregnancy:

• Pelvic Tilts

• Knee Pull

• Straight Leg Raising

• Curl-Up

• Lateral Straight Leg Raising

• Kegel Exercises

How Frequently to Exercise?

Studies have shown that exercising 3 times a week relieves the back pain in the majority of the women over a period of 12 weeks. While exercises before pregnancy do not need a regular expert or medical attention, you should visit a physician upon the discovery of pregnancy. [Read - How to Perform Kegels During Pregnancy, Benefits of Kegels While Pregnant]

Your gynecologist and physician can help you rule out any complications and chart your exercise routine for a comfortable life during pregnancy period.

Treatment For Lower Back Pain in Pregnancy

Below are a few tips and tricks to ease your back pain:

• Correct your Posture An appropriate posture is essential to avoid lower back pain during early pregnancy. You tend to lean forward because of the weight of the baby in front, which causes the strain on the back. To avoid this, always remember to lean back and have a straight back as much as you can

• Balance while bending You must avoid bending down to lift things as much as possible. If you must bend, make sure to do that while squatting and not bend from your hip or back. This will cause unnecessary pressure on your spine

• Sleep on one side While sleeping it is recommended that you sleep on either side and not on your back. Bend one or both your knees while lying on one side. This will help reduce severe back pain during early pregnancy

• Wear shoes wisely Avoid wearing high heels as this can make you lean forward and put pressure on your spine. However, wearing flat shoes is also not advisable, what you need is a comfortable low-heeled shoe which will adequately spread your weight back and forward and help you walk with an erect back

Exercises to Relieve Back Pain During Pregnancy

Read on to know about exercises to get relief from the pregnancy time period back pain.

• Cardiovascular exercises, such as walking, swimming, and biking

• Pelvic Tilts

• Arm And Leg Raises

• Kegel Exercises

• Wall Squats

• Back Stretch

Hope above will you to relieve from lower back pain. 

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