What Causes Back Pain in Pregnancy?

You can totally relate to the title if you are pregnant or a mother already.

Back pain is very common during pregnancy and most pregnant women experience it during pregnancy, especially during the last few months and goes away after the birth of the baby.

But to get rid of it, you must understand how it is caused in the first place.

Suggested Read: Tips to Prevent Back Pain During Pregnancy

What causes back pain in pregnancy?

• Change in posture: While the woman is pregnant, the growing uterus shifts your center of gravity, stretches and weakens your abdominal muscles, and alters your posture, putting strain on your back. 
• Additional weight: Carrying the extra weight adds stress to your muscles and joints, making your back feel worse as the day goes on. 
• Stretching of muscle: The abdominal muscles which support the spine and maintain back health, get stretched and weaken, which increases the risk of back injury during exercise in pregnancy. 
• Hormonal cause: Pregnancy hormones relax the ligaments in your pelvic joints, making them more flexible leading to back pain. 
• Stress: Stress can cause tension in your back leading to spasm or pain in your back. Generally more stressful periods of pregnancy are also tough on your back.

Suggested Read: Deep Breathing Exercises In Pregnancy And Its Benefits

What can you do to relieve back pain during pregnancy?

Improve posture:

Bad posture can be very hard for you during pregnancy, maintaining posture is essential to avoid back pain. You can do tiny changes to help yourself with the pain like,

• Stand straight, don’t slouch.
• Support your back with something like a pillow or rolled towel while sitting.
• Keep your shoulders back and relaxed.
• Keep your knees slightly bent, put them over something higher than ground for support.

Suggested Read: Baby Transformation During Weeks 13-16 Of Pregnancy

Exercise regularly: 

Exercising can do wonders, regular exercise helps a lot in relieving the pain as it increases flexibility and strengthens your muscles resulting in reduced stress to your spines. Slow and easy exercises include walking, stretching, swimming and cycling.

Suggested Read: Sleep Positions To Avoid During Pregnancy

Hot and Cold Compression:

A hot bag or ice pack can help a lot in relieving the back pain. While using any hot or cold compression, try to optimize the temperature and wrap the ice back or hot bottle by a towel to avoid any harm. Don’t use it for the abdomen without consulting the doctor. You can also try getting a mild massage for back pain.

Enjoy the exciting journey of motherhood, now with a little less pain! 

Suggested Read: Essential Nutrients for a Healthy Pregnancy!