Motherhood And Back Pain
I’ve been very fortunate to be able to work with my patients throughout all stages of their motherhood – starting from the pre-natal period (providing pain-relief in a safe and gentle manner) to post-natal period (ensuring that their optimal level of function is restored after delivery). As moms enter the exciting stage of expecting a new baby, this excitement may be curtailed (briefly!) with an air of concern in her voice asking: “Why am I experiencing discomfort in my low back/neck/shoulders during pregnancy when I’ve never even had these concerns in the past?” You may even identify with this question since you are definitely not alone. A study in the journal Orthopedics reports that 50 to 90% of pregnant women will most likely experience back pain.
Why are these statistics so high? Let’s take a brief look at the major biomechanical and physiologic changes occurring at different points of motherhood that may manifest as back, hip, neck, shoulder or neck pain: