Sweet Relief: 8 Safe Ways to Ease Back Pain During Pregnancy

Even the luckiest of mothers-to-be can’t expect to get through pregnancy without back pain. These tips for back pain during pregnancy can help in a safe way.

There are more than 4 million babies born in the U.S. every year. And the mothers of those babies are often forced to deal with a slew of side effects throughout the course of their pregnancies.

Those side effects include everything from morning sickness and frequent urination to constipation and hemorrhoids. And obviously, back pain during pregnancy is another big problem for many expectant mothers.

Is back pain something that has turned into a major issue for you during your pregnancy? You should know that there are some things you can do to prevent it from taking over your life.

1. Maintain Good Posture Throughout Your Pregnancy

Once your stomach starts to grow about halfway through your pregnancy, it’s going to affect your center of gravity. You’re going to begin to feel like you’re going to fall forward whenever you stand up.

In an effort to balance themselves, many pregnant women will lean back, which can really put a strain on their lower back area. You’re more likely to feel a lot of back pain during pregnancy if you take this approach.

Rather than leaning back to compensate, you should do what you can to maintain good posture when you’re pregnant. Stand up as tall as you can and hold your chest up. Keep your shoulders back as well and try not to lock your knees into place.

By practicing good posture, you can work wonders for your low back. It won’t be long before your back pain begins to disappear.

2. Wear the Right Shoes on a Regular Basis

There are some pregnant women who will attempt to wear high heels throughout their pregnancies. There are others who are under the impression that they need to wear shoes that are completely flat.

Both of these things could prove to be very bad for your back! Both high heels and completely flat shoes can lead to back pain before long.

Your best bet is to wear shoes with a very low heel that provide plenty of arch support to your feet. They’ll ease your back pain whenever you have to be up on your feet and moving around.

3. Stay Off Your Feet More Often

While a good pair of shoes can prevent you from encountering back pain when you’re pregnant, you shouldn’t spend too much time up on your feet if you can avoid it. Try to take a seat on occasion to give those feet a rest.

Just make sure that you maintain your good posture even when you’re sitting down. It’s best to sit in chairs that offer lots of lumbar support when you’re seated. Sticking a pillow in behind your back is also a good option for those pregnant women with persistent back pain during pregnancy.

4. Establish an Exercise Routine and Stick to It

When you’re pregnant, it’s important to get as much rest as you can. Both you and your baby will benefit when you make rest a priority.
However, you don’t want to spend the entire nine months that you’re pregnant sitting down in a chair or laying in bed (unless, of course, your doctor has ordered you to for whatever reason). You want to get up and moving around every so often.

There are tons of exercises that pregnant women can do to stay active. There are also specific stretches that pregnant women can do to keep the muscles in their backs and other parts of their bodies loose.

Talk to your doctor about how much physical activity you can get and then design an exercise routine for yourself. It’ll stop your body from stiffening up on you when you’re pregnant.

5. Try to Sleep On Your Side Instead of On Your Back

Sleeping on your back when you’re pregnant might feel more comfortable than sleeping on your side. But it can put an unnecessary strain on your back throughout the night and cause you to wake up with a backache.

Try sleeping on your side instead with your knees bent. There are pregnancy pillows that will make it comfortable for you to sleep in this position. They’ll help to ward off the back pain you might feel if you get into the habit of sleeping on your back.

6. Take Advantage of Prenatal Structural Chiropractic Care

Anyone experiencing back pain, pregnant or not, can benefit from taking a trip to a structural chiropractor’s office. But pregnant women, in particular, should consider taking advantage of the prenatal chiropractic care that’s available to them.

As long as you work with a chiropractor who has experience working with pregnant women, you’ll be in good hands. They can target the pain in your back as well as the pain in other parts of your body to give you a better chance at your desired birth plan.

7. Avoid Lifting Anything That Might Be Too Heavy

If you can help it, you shouldn’t lift up anything that weighs more than just a few pounds when you’re pregnant. And this is not the advice I give everyone. If you are accustomed to lifting weights before pregnancy, you can continue to do so during pregnancy with moderation in mind. If you are not careful, it could cause you to experience more back pain than you already are. Hormones during pregnancy give your ligaments much more “stretch” and leave you more vulnerable to injury.

Don’t be afraid to ask others for help when you need to pick something up. They’ll be more than happy to give you a hand.

8. Speak With Your Doctor If Your Back Problems Persist

Have you tried everything else listed here to treat your back pain and ultimately come up empty?

It might be time to talk to your doctor about the back pain you’re feeling. They may be able to screen you for other conditions that are causing you so many problems and increased pain.

Get Rid of Back Pain During Pregnancy Once and For All

There are some pregnant women who are apprehensive about the idea of using chiropractic care to treat back pain. They’re afraid that it could put their babies at risk.

But this couldn’t be further from the truth. We would love to talk to you more about how prenatal chiropractic care could be good for you and your baby in the months leading up to birth. It is important to choose a chiropractor who works regularly with pregnancy and utilizes the Webster technique to balance the pelvis.

Contact us today to schedule an appointment to address the back pain during pregnancy that you’re feeling.