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Alongside the joy of pregnancy and the future pitter patter of little feet, all too often comes the misery of back pain. Physiotherapist and Biomechanics Coach, Martin Haines provides practical tips to manage the problem of back pain: Causes of back pain during pregnancy
There are many causes of back pain during pregnancy. The pressure on your back from the baby tipping your pelvis forwards is one of the major causes. This tipping increases the pressure on the arch of your back and so compresses some of your spinal joints, often causing a deep aching in your back.
Additionally, your hormones are preparing your body for child birth, which means they are gradually loosening the ligaments around your pelvic region to minimise the trauma of child birth. This loosening unfortunately de-stabilises your pelvis and lower back and can result in pain. You often find at this time that your physical activity levels reduce too as your routine changes to accommodate the different pregnancy trimesters. This in turn often leads to a weakness in the very muscles that, if strong, could help to stabilise your pelvis and lower back. So all things considered there are some very good reasons for the back ache that often accompanies pregnancy.
Alleviating the pain
Usually with any pain you try and remove the causes, but isn’t feasible until after the birth itself, so you have to manage the best way you can. Exercise can help of course, but knowing the best exercises to do whilst pregnant without expert instruction is a worry, so if you can find an expert to guide you at this time, you’d be well advised to do so.
You may also consider a back support. There are many different types of back supports available in the shops and online, and sometimes anything is better than nothing. However, you’ll want to make the best decision you can for you, based upon your circumstances. For instance, you need to look for a portable back support that you can put in any chair.
Supported movement is critical
It is critical that as well as providing your back with support, the back support allows, indeed encourages you to move. Even if the back support holds you in a good position, you’ll still get back ache because you are static. Your back was designed to move, so keeping it fixed in one position (even a good position) causes the joints, muscles and nerves to cease up – causing aching or pain. Secondly, as you move, your trunk (or core) muscles start to engage which reminds them how to work again. This, in turn helps them stabilise your back when you’re not using the support.
The dynamic back support which I recommend to my patients is Dynaspine because it has two flexible, back support plates which mould and adjust to the contours of the spine, allowing for this required supported movement. As well as being portable and relatively inexpensive, it can be used after pregnancy or by other members of the family.
Take things slowly
Perhaps the most important piece of advice in movement terms is to move slowly. That is not to say you must walk at a ‘snails-pace’, but whenever you start to move or change movement direction, do it slowly. Whenever you start to bend to pick something up - move slowly, whenever you go from sitting to standing - move slowly. Changing direction and starting to move too quickly is a major cause of pain back, especially while pregnant.
Dynaspine is the first back support available that allows dynamic movement of the spine, adjusting with your position in the chair to move with you and to ensure that your back is always supported and the correct posture maintained. Dynaspine has two flexible, back support plates which mould and adjust to the contours of the spine, encouraging a forward positioning on the chair to ensure the back is aligned correctly and that pressure is taken off supporting joints and muscles. Dynaspine costs £79.99 and is available from www.dynaspineinternational.com or by calling 01246 268 456.
Martin Haines is a Physiotherapist and coach in biomechanics – the science concerned with internal forces acting on skeletal structure. He runs specialist training courses for sports coaches, personal trainers and health and fitness professionals. Martin originally qualified as a remedial gymnast and recreational therapist and he later treated a succession of sports stars from his private London clinic. After many of these clients complained of reoccurring problems, Martin conducted an extensive and worldwide research programme which revealed for the first time, that many of these issues were the result of biomechanical flaws.
Spinal Dynamics International Ltd is owned and managed by a group of highly qualified and experienced professionals in the fields of physiotherapy and orthopaedics. The company supplies quality products along with valuable professional insight, educational support and helpful advice. Spinal Dynamics International Ltd has recently launched the Spinal Dynamics seating solutions range. The key design feature of the range is the Dynaspine™ dynamic spinal support system.
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