Physical Therapy During Pregnancy

By Tamer S. Issa, PT

Women have known, since the days we all lived in caves, that pregnancy is seriously a big deal. Not only does the condition bring a new life to the world, but it also drastically changes the womans body in more ways than one. Breasts grow and produce milk, the skin stretches to its very limit, the pelvic area widens throughout the pregnancy, and the growing belly places some pretty big stress on the spine and skeletal structure. Thats a lot for any one female body to deal with at once, and most women find themselves riddled with little aches and pains throughout their pregnancy. Some painful conditions related to pregnancy include postural back pain, Sacroiliac Joint/pelvic girdle instability, varicose veins, diastasis reeti (separation of the rectus and abdominal muscles) and neve compression syndrome (i.e. thoracic outlet syndrome or carpal tunnel syndrome).
Even the smoothest pregnancy includes some level of spinal stress. There is almost no way to avoid it, since a ten pound soccer ball is growing around the abdomen. Basic physics easily proves that the addition of weight in that particular point in the body will stress both the upper and lower spine.
Complete negligence of back pain of a pregnant woman can affect her life, work, imminent confinement and delivery. Some problems may also occur concerning her health and it may occur for a period of time after giving birth.
Normally, weight is equally distributed to the rear and front portion of the body. But during pregnancy, the front portion is getting heavier than the rear portion, which leads to change of the center of gravity. These changes will create stress on the back portion and other load bearing regions eventually leading to
Muscular exhaustion, which may lead to bad postures or enhance existing bad posture.
Ligament strain and muscle stiffness pain due to increased stress on the load bearing regions of the body. Women who already have this problem prior to pregnancy may result to worsening of this problem.
Sacroiliac joint instability is a common disorder during pregnancy. Relaxin and Estrogen are hormones responsible for loose joints in the pelvic region. This problem when combined with weight gain, muscle fatigue and change of gravity will lead to severe back pain and poor stability.
We must keep in mind that back pain should not be a burden of a pregnant woman. It is not something natural and definitely not a part of pregnancy. It is not a disease either but it is most likely to occur. Taking some precautionary actions will help prevent its occurrence and will let you enjoy your pregnancy, imminent labor and ease of delivery.
The combination of manual therapy, proper physical exercise and the use of a pelvic brace is an effective treatment approach that physical therapists use to address pregnancy related back pain.