You might have a sore back, a sore neck or other aches and pains. For some mums-to-be, it will be fairly manageable but for others, it can be debilitating. This information may help.
75% of pregnant women will have some back or pelvic pain during pregnancy. It’s not surprising really; a women's whole body posture changes over those nine months.
Women were once told this was ‘normal’, to ‘just put up with it’ and ‘it will pass once the baby is born’. Isn’t that staggering?
It is fairly common, that’s true, but it’s not something you should have to put up with.
We hope this information will help. If you have any more questions, you can always contact us or book an appointment at our clinic in Canberra.
Treatment of back pain during pregnancy
Lower back pain is pretty much what it sounds like.
Pelvic pain is any pain located around the pelvis, either at the back where your sacroiliac joints are (the dimples at the top of your buttocks), around your hips, and/or in the join between your pubic bones at the front of your pelvis.
Low back pain
The pain you’re feeling may make you worry you will do more damage if you keep exercising.
In most cases this is not true. So, stay active.
Regular exercise during pregnancy can contribute to better outcomes. Particularly activities aimed at working on your:
core
pelvic floor
hip stability
In contrast, standing still and sitting for long periods is often a bad idea. Keeping on your feet but moving around is better, and when you want to rest lie down instead of sitting.
Pelvic pain
Pelvic pain can be a little different. Sometimes pelvic pain is due to instability in some or all joints in the pelvis.
This makes some things difficult, like:
Pushing a stroller or shopping trolley
Walking up stairs
Getting in and out of cars
Lifting and carrying
Doing these things won’t cause any permanent damage. But it may flare up the condition.
It is a good idea to limit or avoid these activities where possible, until you can get some resolution to the pain.
You can do exercises to reduce stress on the unstable joints and improve the stability of the pelvic girdle.
Sometimes using an aid to give stability to the pelvis and lower back can help. The easiest and most cost effective is a length of tubigrip. This is a tubular elastic bandage that you can wear around your waist.
If you need more support than the tubigrip offers there are a range of pelvic support belts that can help.
It can be a good idea to get you back or pelvic pain checked out by a manual therapist, especially if the pain is severe or you have any numbness.
A chiropractor may be able to help with. Treatment could consist of:
joint manipulation
joint mobilisation
soft tissue work
exercise prescription
And support around how best to manage it all.
A physiotherapist or osteopath with a similar approach can also be an excellent choice. Acupuncture has some promising evidence that it can help with lower back pain too.
Speak to a chiropractor about back pain in pregnancy
Manual therapy like chiropractic can have a positive impact on low back pain and pelvic pain. Is it time to chat to a chiropractor?
Contact Thrive or book an appointment at our clinic in Canberra.