Well folks, it happened. The pregnancy-related back pain took me down. I’m talking the can’t stand up straight, feels like someone is sticking an ice pick in your back, feels like your legs may fall out from under you at any second kind of pain. It began after my nesting drive insisted I try to do about 400 loads of baby laundry in one day (thanks, hormones) but once it began it was truly debilitating. Today, I wanted to walk you through the steps I took to improve my back pain initially and plan to continue to do to help keep it at bay for the rest of this pregnancy.
Relative Rest
Especially when you’ve started hurting after clearly “over-doing” it, some rest may be important and necessary for your body. This does not mean to put yourself on bed rest, but rather ask for help with the heavy tasks (lifting, carrying, prolonged bending), spread tasks out throughout the day to allow yourself to rest between, allow yourself to move more slowly and take more breaks, and finally make sure you are getting some good sleep during your day.
Movement
Although it can be tempting to simply crumble into bed when back pain hits, this really isn’t the best option for our back or body. We know that no one position is great for our body to be in for prolonged periods of time so altering rest with movement is key. Movement provides nutrition to our joints and helps us to rewire our brain around our back pain by reminding the brain that movement is not dangerous or harmful. For me, the best movement was slow treadmill walking and a gentle routine of yoga & mobility exercises.
Unweighting
The rapid weight gain of pregnancy (and especially twin pregnancies) can put our bodies in a state of constant overload. So when you rest, find positions to unweight the spine. For me, this includes hands/knees frequently throughout the day or sidelying with adequate pillow support for longer rest breaks. The buoyancy of the water makes the bathtub another great option (as long as its temperature controlled) to unweight the spine and pelvis for some relief.
Support
Finally, life doesn’t stop when you’re in pain so when you’re unable to focus directly on rest, movement, or unweighting – use support. I use a Sacroiliac Belt to support my low back and pelvis when my back pain is making it difficulty to walk, lift my kids, and complete the tasks that need to be done. Other options may be a belly band, lumbar pillow while sitting, or even an assistive device to help you walk safely.
I’m happy to report that I was able to kick my back pain within 48 hours by using the steps above. But don’t forget, everyone’s body is different so what worked for me may not be the right answer for you. You should always be evaluated by a Doctor of Physical Therapy that specializes in pregnancy as quickly as possible with pregnancy-related back pain for your individualized plan of care to help stop the pain from worsening and stop secondary issues from arising. If you are struggling with pregnancy-related back pain, call Life Changes Physical Therapy to see how we can get you back on the right track today!
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