What Can a Woman Do About Back Pain During Pregnancy?

Pregnancy can be quite a thrilling time in a woman's life. All the anticipation of picking a name, painting the baby's new room, celebrations with family and friends. It sure can be a time of eager waiting for you new bundle of joy. But sadly, for a surprisingly large number of women, the later months of pregnancy can be quite painful when they start to experience chronic back pain. This is particularly unfortunate, since back pain not only causes problems with day-to-day chores, but it also affects a woman's quality of life in what is supposed to be a joyful and happy time in her life. Of course one obvious reason for the back pain is the added weight from the growing baby. As your belly grows larger, it pulls you forward. In order to keep your balance, you need to lean your upper body back. This accentuate the arch in your back and puts a lot of stress on your lower back and hips. This makes sense, but there is actually another cause of most cases of back pain. I'm talking about muscle imbalances here, which are in fact the leading in cause of back pain and sciatica not just in pregnant women, but in the general population as well. The overall condition of your muscles and their tone is very important when it comes to maintaining a healthy back. Normally, your muscles should work equally to help you move your joint. When one muscle contracts, an opposing muscle should stretch. And the degree by which these two muscles contract and stretch should be equal. If they aren't then there are muscle imbalances. Now, as a pregnant woman, every time you move, walk, bend over, twist, or even sleep your muscles must accommodate the weight of your growing belly. Any muscle imbalances you have are only exaggerated and made worse by your pregnancy. These muscle imbalances pull your back out of alignment and put added stress on your bones and joints. Your spine is made up of 24 separate vertebrae. Normally, your back bones and your pelvis are in alignment to carry the weight of your body. But if even one of these bones becomes misaligned, then the back muscles have to take up the extra slack and carry the added weight. When this happens you develop muscular imbalances and you are much more prone to back pain and even injury. Now, if this is what is happening to you, you now have to deal with your pregnancy in a severe amount of pain. It is quite sad that pregnancy, which is often one of the most cherished times in a woman's life, might be filled with intense lower back pain and sciatica.