Lower back pain in early pregnancy - Every woman who has ever
been pregnant can tell you that one of the worst things about being
pregnant was their constant back discomfort. This is especially true in
late pregnancy as their bellies get bigger and bigger, but back aches
plague pregnant women in the early stages too! Every woman who has ever
had lower back ache in any stage of pregnancy wants to find some kind of
relief.
Lower back pain in early pregnancy - causes...
Caution:
There are several reasons that pregnant women have back discomfort.
Generally, lower back pain is normal and to be expected but, if you are
bleeding, in the first trimester of pregnancy, or if you experience pain
that is new, the quality has changed or is particularly intense - it
COULD indicate a problem, even a possible miscarriage.
Call your doctor to be sure your backache symptoms are not a medical emergency.
One
of the causes of normal lower back pain in early pregnancy is that the
hormone progesterone affects the ligaments, muscles and tendons in a
woman's body. This is to make it easier to give birth. Progesterone also
affects the cartilage in the body, like that between the vertebrae of
the spine.
Another reason is that a pregnant woman is very front
heavy. (And gets more so with each passing day.) All the weight in front
of her causes her to arch her back to try to balance and relieve it.
This causes a lot of stress on the lumbar and sacroiliac areas of the
spine, which are the 2 lowest segments of the spine.
Lower back pain in early pregnancy - solutions...
Just as there is more than one reason that pregnant women get lower back pain, there is more than one solution.
If
you are suffering from lower back pain and you are pregnant there are
several things that you can do to get severe back pain relief.
There
is always the prescription drug route - but while you CAN visit your
doctor and get medicine, there are several solutions you can try first
that are drug (and side effect) free...
The first thing you can do is to apply heat and cold to your back. Heat can be done in a warm bath or shower.
Another
way to apply heat is to use an old sock filled with rice that you heat
in a microwave. You can just put that across your lower back and lean
back. This will often provide immediate pregnancy back discomfort
relief.
Caution: You want to avoid going into a Jacuzzi. You also want to avoid heating pads.
Lower back pain in early pregnancy - avoid the Jacuzzi...
To
apply cold all you need to do is get an ice pack. Make sure that there
is something in between the ice pack and your skin, you can get mild
frostbite from an ice pack. You also want to use it for no more than 20
minutes.
Try alternating back and forth from a heat pack to an ice
pack. They both work in about the same way. The heat pack draws blood
into the affected area, which helps relax the affected muscles. The cold
numbs the area, but when it's removed the blood comes rushing back into
the area further relaxing the muscles.
Lower back pain in early pregnancy - exercises...
You can also fight lower back pain in early pregnancy by doing some stretching and pelvic tilt exercises.
To
practice the pelvic tilt and take stress off your lower back, get on
the floor on your knees and elbows. Roll your pelvis in. Your abdomen
should go up towards your spine and your back should arch. This releases
the muscles in the lower spine.
Mild exercise can also help
reduce your discomfort. You can try exercising in a pool. The water will
take all the weight off your body and allow your muscles to relax. Just
make sure that the pool isn't too warm and that you don't spend too
long in it.
Lower back pain in early pregnancy isn't something
that a pregnant woman has to silently suffer. While it will affect every
woman who ever gets pregnant, there are many ways to find relief.
Suffering with chronic back pains - or any other sore muscles -
can completely take over your life! But... what if you just can't seem
to shake it?
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