Pregnancy and Back Pain

Filed in archive Pregnancy on March 15, 2007

There's no doubt pregnancy puts a strain on the body, and one of the places women feel it is the back. That back pain can cause other problems, including poor sleep.

Science Daily reports on a recent study:

The study, published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, says despite the high prevalence of musculoskeletal pain during pregnancy, few women in underserved populations receive treatment for their lower back pain.

In addition, the researchers at Logan College of Chiropractic in St. Louis and the Washington University School of Medicine in Seattle found some 80 percent of women reporting sleep disturbances had back pain, and three-quarters of the women with pain also used pain medication.

The Back Pain Blog explains the cause:

The causes of this kind of back pain are very much understandable. The body of a pregnant woman makes space to accommodate the child, which means supporting extra weight. This, in turn, puts pressure on the back. And if the back muscles are not strong enough, back pain is quite obviously a natural consequence.

Families.com has some tips for easing your back pain including stretching:

Stretching is a great tool for preventing and treating back pain.