You may have heard a lot of women saying that they have been affected by lower back pain during pregnancy. You could have guessed that the reason for this is the growing belly that needs to be supported by the back. The belly also causes a shift in your center of gravity, weakening and stretching the muscles of the abdomen.
The causes of pregnancy lower back pain
It is also possible to experience this kind of pain in case your growing belly is pressing on a nerve. Don’t forget that you have to carry more weight when you are pregnant and so the muscles and joints have to work harder. This may be the main reason for which your back hurts more during the night.
Regarding pregnancy lower back pain you should also know that the hormones released during pregnancy loosen the ligaments and joints. This way you will have less stability and walking may get painful, not to mention sitting for longer periods, standing, getting up from a chair or rolling on the bed.
On the bright side, you should know that you’re not the only one dealing with lower back pain during pregnancy. About 75% of all pregnant women have to live with this pregnancy symptom. Usually the pain appears during the third trimester, and it gradually gets worse as the pregnancy progresses. In some cases, it could last in the postpartum period as well.
Common kinds of pregnancy lower back pain
According to the specialists, there are two common kinds of pain – there is the lumbar pain felt at the lumbar vertebrae and posterior pelvic pain that you could feel in the back of the pelvis. Although some women experience only one of these, you could also show symptoms of both of them.
In case you experience lumbar lower back pain during pregnancy, the pain is something like you could have had before you got pregnant. You should feel it around your spine and at your waist. This kind of pain could also radiate to the legs too. Sitting, standing and lifting could make the pain worse.
The truth is that the posterior pelvic pain is more common when it comes to pregnancy lower back pain. This is felt lower, at the inside of the buttocks and even at the back of your thighs. Walking, getting in or out of a tub, climbing stairs, lifting and rolling over on the bed could trigger the pain.
There are some positions that could make this kind of lower back pain worse during pregnancy, such as sitting on a chair or leaning over a desk. In case you are affected by this symptom, it is also possible that you will suffer from pain at your pubic bone.
Could you be affected by pregnancy lower back pain?
As you may have thought, in case you have been affected by such pain before, it is possible to be affected by it during pregnancy too. Your chances are also higher in case you have to sit for longer periods of time, and if you aren’t flexible or you have weak abdominal and back muscles.
If you are going to have twins, your chances of experiencing lower back pain during pregnancy are higher. According to some of the studies, in case you are obese, you are more likely to experience pain of this kind, but there are also some studies that have shown the opposite.
There are certain things that you could do about pregnancy lower back pain such as exercising, swimming, walking and also pelvic tilts. Nonetheless you should know that having lower back pain during pregnancy isn’t the end of the world.
