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Relief
from the “Back Pain” of Motherhood
Motherhood and back /
neck pain seem to go hand in hand. Ever
wonder why? Well there are structural
and hormonal influences contributing to
the infamous back pain, and there are
remedies for them.
How it begins:
During
pregnancy, the expanding uterus
elongated and essentially rendered the
abdominal (stomach) muscles useless. The
abdominal muscles are responsible for
core stability. When this trunk support
is lessened other body parts then try to
compensate and are used improperly or
overused. Back muscles and ligaments,
for example, too often pay the price for
these weakened stomach muscles.
Particularly following a
pregnancy, special attention needs to be
paid to re-educating and strengthening
the abdominals and pelvic floor muscles.
Without this attention the overstretched
muscles only partially function, and a
cascade of misalignment, overuse
injuries and musculoskeletal problems
progress over the years.
However, there is good
news. It is never too late! Whether you
do it for vanity purposes – the flat or
at least flatter belly - or you do it
for your health and to be pain free,
just do it. This is not a Nike ad
however, nor is it about being an
athlete. It is about protecting your
spine, becoming pain free and allowing
mothers to be fully available and
capable of caring for their little ones.
In addition to
re-training the stomach and pelvic
muscles, women (particularly new
mothers) can remedy back pain through
proper body mechanics and posture. Even
up to six months after pregnancy the
body is still producing the hormone,
Relaxin. This hormone is responsible for
creating ligament laxity (soft
ligaments) and therefore further reduces
core stability. This is particularly
felt along the sacral ligaments of the
low back. In order to protect the spine
against this decreased support, it is
crucial to lift properly and maintain
good posture through out all activities
of daily living.
Helpful Tips:
1) keep the back as straight as possible
when lifting. Bend at the knees and use
the legs as the source of power for the
action. 2) Hold all objects against the
body or as close as possible keeping the
arms to your side. 3) Avoid twisting,
particularly bending and twisting
together. 4) Push rather than pull. 5)
Tighten the stomach when lifting or
carrying. 6) Take small frequent breaks
and find time to rest! Take care of
yourself.
Exercises:
Pelvic
tilts, kegel exercises and walking are
the three basics to restoring and
maintaining a healthy spine. Do not
under estimate the healing power of a
little exercise. Most mothers find it
difficult to find time for themselves.
However, everyone can do these basic
three things. 1) A pelvic tilt can be
done when you are lying on your back
with knees bent. You then flatten your
low back into the bed or floor by using
your stomach muscles and not your legs.
Hold this for 5 seconds and repeat 10
times. Progress to 30 reps, or 3 sets of
10. 2) A basic kegel exercise can be
done while going to the bathroom. Simply
practice stopping the flow of urination
a few times during the stream. This
contracts and strengthens the pelvic
floor muscles.
You may also choose to
visit a qualified physical therapist for
proper training in body mechanics. At
Integrative Physical Therapy, we
specialize in women’s spinal health by
providing therapeutic massage, combined
with individualized training and home
exercise programs.
Kimberly DelVecchio,
Licensed Physical Therapist, is the
director of Integrative Physical Therapy
in Clifton Park, a comprehensive
physical therapy clinic specializing in
women’s health issues.
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