If You Have Prenatal or Postpartum Back Pain, You Know How Debilitating It Can Be….
If You Have Prenatal or Postpartum Pain, You Know How Debilitating It Can Be…
Simple day-to-day movements can be agonizing, if not impossible to perform. Nearly every movement you do during the day is affected by pain and your pregnancy or taking care of your child can become difficult, if not impossible to perform.
Prenatal and postpartum issues are some of the most common complaints our pelvic floor therapist at Back In Motion Sport & Spine Physical Therapy deal with on a day-to-day basis & they will NOT disappear on their own.
What Is Postpartum Back Pain & What Causes It?
What Is Postpartum Back Pain & What Causes It?
Pregnancy places a lot of stress and strain on your body & if your muscles aren’t strong enough to control the expansion of your pelvis, your muscles become weak and your joints become problematic too.
We hear from moms on a daily basis, that has gone to their primary physicians or ob-gyns for help, only to be told to take some painkillers, rest, and “see how it goes”. Many medical providers don’t know how to address the muscles and joints before or after pregnancy
Having back pain during and after pregnancy is something that many women have come to believe is a normal part of pregnancy. And while it is very common and many women experience it, back pain during pregnancy or postpartum can be prevented or treated.
It may be time to come see us if you are experiencing any of the following postpartum back pain signs & symptoms:
- Tiredness
- Activity intolerance
- Pain in the lower back and/or hips
- Back pain while walking or performing exercise
Our Postpartum Back Pain Treatments
Our Postpartum Back Pain Treatments
Strengthening the Core Muscles- Women are often commonly told that exercising during pregnancy is dangerous. Maintaining a well-balanced exercise program, and focusing on strengthening the core muscles, will help keep us moving and keep us pain-free.
Joint Mobilization- You will perform joint mobilization exercises to help loosen the joints and ease the symptoms. Your pelvic floor physical therapist may also mobilize the joints manually, which can speed up the joint mobilization process.
Relocation, Stretching, & Myofascial Release- Your pelvic floor physical therapist will guide you through stretching exercises where you will practice special breathing techniques to further decrease tightness. Your pelvic floor physical therapist may use a manual massage technique called myofascial release to break up tight muscle tissue.
Spinal Manipulation & Traction- A hands-on manual therapy technique that combines moving and jolting joints, massage, exercise, and physical therapy. It helps relieve pressure on the joints, reduce inflammation, and improve nerve function.
Want Help to Decide if Our Postpartum Physical Therapy is Right For You?
Want Help to Decide if Our Postpartum Physical Therapy is Right For You?
Frequently Asked Questions About Postpartum Back Pain
Frequently Asked Questions About Postpartum Back Pain
Your postpartum back pain will NOT go away on its own! Our specialty-trained woman’s health physical therapist can effectively treat your back pain and other pregnancy or pelvic floor issues.
Maintaining a well-balanced exercise program, and focusing on strengthening the core muscles, will help keep us moving and keep us pain-free.
Creating good habits about our lifting mechanics also plays a huge role in preventing and alleviating back pain. Even if you don’t have pain right now! Constantly lifting and bending with our spines will lead to new problems and aggravate current problems.
Staying pain-free during and after pregnancy is a possibility, and should be the majority! Meeting with a physical therapist to discuss healthy exercise habits, discover areas of weakness, and creating a plan based on your back pain is the first step!
Our hips, core, and muscles in our low back are so important in keeping us pain-free. Commonly, women who have back pain during or after pregnancy are prescribed bed rest. Which, first of all, yeah right, because I have to much to do to get this nursery ready.
And secondly, bed rest can lead to way more problems, like blood clots. Bed rest also only makes our back pain worse in the long run, by making us weaker.
Women are also commonly told that exercising during pregnancy is dangerous and that once those two little lines show up, it’s time to cancel the gym membership. There are some situations in which this is true, such as high-risk pregnancies, but for the majority of women, exercising while pregnant is very beneficial!
Maintaining a well-balanced exercise program, and focusing on strengthening the core muscles, will help keep us moving and keep us pain-free.