Being pregnant is such a wonderful time…until those aches and pains start and begin to really set in late in pregnancy. At that point pregnancy is a little less wonderful. In this case, an ounce of prevention is absolutely worth a pound of cure. Since your body will be going through a lot of changes at an extremely rapid pace – my goodness! You’re growing a HUMAN BEING in 40 weeks! It’s really important that you’re in tip top shape prior to conception, not just nutritionally, but from a neuro-biomechanical perspective too.
So here are the 3 most common pregnancy aches and pains I see in my practice and my recommendations on how to reduce (possible eliminate) and prevent .
Low Back Pain
Oh so common as your belly rapidly grows before your body can adapt. Plus, so many women give in to the weight and carry themselves with a sway back.
The first thing you have to do is make sure your spine and pelvis are aligned and functioning properly. Only a Chiropractor is trained to properly evaluate your spine in this way, and only a Webster Certified Chiropractor is trained to properly work with the pelvis and low back of a pregnant woman. It can take time to restore health to a spine, this would be one reason I recommend beginning chiropractic care prior to conception. It would also be why I recommend children get chiropractic care – to KEEP a healthy spine! More on that another time.
Once your spine is getting the attention is needs, increase the strength of those spine supporting muscles. Yoga is great exercise for your spine as well as your mind! Look for a local studio that offers prenatal classes. In Pittsburgh, we’re fortunate to have Shining Light Prenatal Education
As your spine is becoming properly aligned and you’re strengthening the spine supporting muscles, it ought to be easier to correct your posture. Pay attention that you’re not giving in to the “sway back” as your belly grows – allowing your pelvis to move forward relative to your center of gravity. Be conscious to keep your hips in line with your shoulders and knees and pelvis in a neutral position (don’t allow your pelvis to rock forward).
Pubic Symphysis
This to me was the most uncomfortable and concerning pain I experienced during pregnancy. The pubic symphysis is where the bones of your pelvis meet in the front, right above your pubic area. To me, it felt like the front of my pelvis was actually being ripped apart! Fortunately, it didn’t last the entire pregnancy because I quickly figured out what was going on and corrected it.
First and foremost, stop putting unnecessary stress on this area. One of the biggest culprits is getting in and out of the car. Rather than stepping in leading with one leg, sit your butt down in the seat first and swing your legs around together. That would be how you get into a car. To get out, do just the opposite. Swing your legs together out the door and then stand up.
There are ways to strengthen the muscles of the groin. The easiest exercise is to roll up a towel or place a 5-6 inch ball between your knees and squeeze your knees together.
Again, Chiropractic care is helpful in this situation as the two sides of the pubic symphysis can misalign.
Sciatic
The sciatic nerve starts in the lumbar spine from several of the lumbar nerve roots and then combine to form a thick, large nerve that extends down your buttocks, legs and feet. This can occur on one or both sides. To prevent sciatic pain, you need to do the same things to prevent low back pain as it’s likely the problem starts there.
However, the piriformis muscle can contribute to sciatic pain as well. To stretch the piriformis muscle:
- Lay down on your back.
- Cross your right ankle over your left knee, like a figure 4
- Bend your left knee so your foot is flat on the ground.
- Take your right arm and grab your left knee by reaching between your legs through the hole your legs have created
- Use your left arm to grab your left knee by reaching around the left side of your left leg.
- Pull your left knee towards your chest.
- You should feel a stretch in your buttock
- Repeat on the opposite side
This stretch can also be down sitting down.
- Sit in a sturdy chair.
- Cross your right ankle over your left knee.
- Lean your body forward
I realize as I’m writing this, the pictures and/or videos will be very helpful in demonstrating. It’s on my to do list, I promise!
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