Causes and Solutions of Spinal Pain during Pregnancy
Posted: Sunday, May 17, 2009
by Tomer Harel
Key Scouts
Even when humanity was still living in caves, women knew that having a baby and being pregnant is a massively big deal. Not only is a new life arriving, but the woman's body goes through some incredible changes. Her breasts grow and begin lactating, her belly grows round and large, stretching the skin to its limit, the pelvis expands, and the hip bones rotate. All this, of course, places some strain on the spine and skeletal structure. Quite a lot of strain, in fact. The cliche that says that women's bodies can survive anything if it survives pregnancy is true.
What actually occurs in a woman's body during pregnancy that affects the spine so much? The most obvious change is that of the center of weight in the body. The body's center of weight changes dramatically as the pregnant belly grows and expands, which in turn affects the lower back. In response to this, many women begin to adjust their posture to accommodate the extra weight, curving their spine in an exaggerated manner. These two factors, in addition to the widening of the pelvis cause muscles all along the spinal cord to contract in new and painful ways.
The lower back is most often affected severely. By the third trimester, women tend to stand and walk with their shoulders and hips thrown back to balance the extra weight and bulk of the belly and growing breasts. This places an incredible amount of stress on the lower spinal cord. The extra curve inward can throw the entire spinal alignment out of whack, and the constant pressure of carrying an extra load makes it difficult to find relief. It is not rare to find many pregnant women spending their third trimester in bed with their knees to their bellies in an attempt to relieve the pressures on the lower back. Pregnancy Yoga also recommends standing in a dog position (hands and knees to the ground) and bending the back in an upwards curve at least twice a day to stretch out and release the stressed muscles.
The middle back is often overlooked. The entire area between the shoulder blades and the small of the back is under considerable strain during the second and third trimesters. As the pelvis bones widen, muscles along the spinal cord continue to adjust, often tensing around the mid-back area. Middle back pain has a tendency to be overlooked because often the pain is actually felt in the upper or lower back. Because nerve endings often send signals to other areas of the back when they are affected, it is likely that pregnant women don't even know that some of the discomfort they are feeling is originating from the middle back. Also, when both the upper and lower back is in pain, it is hard to distinguish which exact area the pain comes from. Many Pregnancy Yoga positions assist this type of strain, such as a corkscrew pose: lying on the back with the knees pointing at one direction, while the head is pointing another.
The upper back, neck, and shoulders are highly susceptible to pain during pregnancy. This is due both to the compensation posture that pregnant women assume (thrusting the shoulders and hips back to balance the front-heavy belly) and to the extra weight carried by the shoulders. More strain is added to the shoulders as the breasts and belly grow larger, since the shoulder muscles carry the extra weight. A tight neck results from this. The neck can also become misaligned and strained during sleep. Pregnant women often toss and turn at night, since it is so difficult to find a comfortable position after the second trimester begins. Shoulder rotations are recommended in pregnancy Yoga to relieve shoulder and neck tension. It is a horrible feeling, to be limited to only lying on your back. When pregnant women try to sleep on their side, their bellies sag forward and pull their weight into the mattress. This, of course, places pressure on the belly, which is extremely uncomfortable. Some women try placing a regular pillow under their belly. Some even stack pillows all around them to be able to sleep on their side. But regular pillows just don't work that well. All the back pain is in acute need of relief.
Perhaps the best possible solution for back pain during pregnancy is a pregnancy pillow. Pregnancy pillows are ergonomically designed to relieve pressure on the neck and entire back during the sleeping hours. They come in many different shapes and forms, but the best ones support both the growing belly and the back. Some are designed as two pillows connected by an adjustable Velcro strap to support each side of the body, and others are body pillows: long bean bags supporting the neck, belly, and hips and allowing the spine to stretch and release.
Pregnancy affects women's spinal cord, there can be no doubt about it. There are ways to ease the pain, however. Practicing Pregnancy Yoga, using a pregnancy or body pillow, and making sure that while at work you have ergonomically designed office products should help any woman alleviate those pregnancy aches and pains.
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