How to Avoid Pregnancy Back Pain
By Sara Butler
Back pain during pregnancy is really common, which isn’t something that should surprise you. After all, it’s a time of rapid growth and a big shift to your body's center of gravity. It also happens to be a time when your body is flooded with hormones that loosen your ligaments in order to allow that rapid growth to take place. Two million women experience back pain during pregnancy every year according to the National Institutes of Health. Here’s what you can do to try to reduce the chances of being one of those women.
Equip Yourself
If you want to combat pregnancy-related back pain, then you have to have the right equipment in your arsenal. You should have:
- Good shoes – The shoes you wear when pregnant can have a big impact. You need shoes that are flat but also offer support to your arches. They should have good shock absorbing qualities as well and a heel no bigger than one inch. Avoiding high heels is going to be a good plan, as is avoiding flip-flops.
- Supportive pillows – When you sleep you need extra pillows for extra support. Make sure you have one for your head and one for both your right and left side to help with support of your back and abdomen. You may want to get a pillow for your knees also to help support your hips as you sleep on your side as your belly grows larger.
See Your Chiropractor
Your chiropractor at The Joint has experience treating pregnancy-related back pain naturally. You should begin to see them early in your pregnancy so that they can help to keep your joints aligned, combat joint dysfunction and joint restrictions. If you’re having a specific pain, such as sciatic pain down your leg, then they can help to find the underlying cause of the pain and treat it. Hopefully this will have you enjoying this miraculous time in your life as your baby grows inside of you instead of suffering through it with back pain.
Use Ice/Heat Therapy
An ice pack and heating pad can be your best friend when you’re pregnant. Ice can help to reduce swelling and keep you more comfortable during pregnancy. Heat can be used to help increase your circulation after the swelling has gone down and offer quite a bit of relief from aches and pains.
To learn more about your health and wellness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic.