9 Easy Ways to End Back Pain During Pregnancy Without Medication

Transcription

1 9 Easy Ways to End Back Pain During Pregnancy Without Medication Dawn Chambers, PT, DPT

2 About The Author Dawn Chambers, PT, DPT Dr. Chambers received her Bachelor of Arts in Movement and Sport Science from Purdue University, Master of Physical Therapy degree from the Medical College of Georgia/Georgia Regents University and her Doctoral degree from A.T. Still University. After working several years in outpatient orthopedic physical therapy, Dr. Chambers recognized the need for a quality physical therapy clinic to exclusively address women s health and rehabilitation. Dr. Chambers is a member of the American Physical Therapy Association and serves as the South Carolina state representative for the Section on Women s Health. In addition, she is an Orthopedic and Private Practice Section Member. Carolina Women s Physical Therapy and Wellness provides exceptional evidence based physical therapy and wellness interventions for women of all ages. In addition to these services, Carolina Women s Physical Therapy and Wellness offers women s health programs and community seminars/workshops. 2

3 1 Avoid High Heels Wearing heels increases the pressure through your back by 25 times. Imagine how much relief you d feel if you could take that type of stress off your lower back right now. This pressure builds up from wearing the wrong footwear over a period of weeks and years but is worsened during pregnancy. 2 Avoid Sitting for More Than 20 Minutes At A Time You were not designed to sit for extended periods of time. When you sit, there is approximately 10 times more pressure pushing down on your spine than when you stand tall. Most of us slouch or flop when we sit. As a result, muscles in your spine that are designed to protect you, just don t work. This causes inevitable aches, pain and stiffness. 3 Use Ice Ice is the best way to ease back pain. Ice is a natural anti-inflammatory. It can be used whenever you feel achy or painful. Apply an ice pack for minutes at a time. 4 Avoid Sitting Cross Legged Your spine is not designed to remain in a twisted position. Sitting in a crosslegged position is doing just that. In this position, your spine/lower back is weak and you re vulnerable to injury. 5 Sleep On Your Side, Preferably The Left Sleeping on your side with a pillow between your knees significantly lowers the amount of rotation/twisting in your spine. You may also benefit from a body pillow to support your low back. 6 Lift Properly Prior to lifting any object, you need to contract your abdominals, squat down and lift with your legs. Don t bend at the waist or lift with your back. 3

4 7 Practice Good Posture As your baby grows, your center of gravity shifts forward. You may be tempted to lean back, which can strain the muscles of the lower back. Remember to stand up straight, keep your shoulders back and don t lock your knees. 8 Log Roll To Get Up From Bed Make sure you roll to your side and push up with your arms instead of just sitting straight up in bed. This technique places less stress on your low back while protecting your abdominals. 9 Get Physical With Physical Therapy There isn t a faster way to end back pain than by going to see a physical therapist. Physical therapy treatment in a one on one setting means that you re going to get fast access to care that will relax tight muscles, loosen tight and painful joints and strengthen your body so that you can go back to doing the things you love. You can often leave therapy with your concerns eased and physical pain reduced in 45 minutes. Conclusion So there you have it! 9 Easy Ways to End Back Pain During Pregnancy! These are just the fundamentals. There is obviously much more that you can do and I could go into much more depth, but this is a great start! If you apply these fundamentals rigorously and are disciplined, they can make a huge difference in your quality of life. In the weeks ahead, I will be sending you even more tips and advice on how to restore your active and healthy lifestyle. I hope this is the beginning of a wonderful long-term relationship where my colleagues and I will be successful at making a real difference in your life. Dedicated to Helping You Live Your Most Active Life, Dawn Chambers, PT, DPT 4

5 Health Advice Disclaimer We make every effort to ensure that we accurately represent the injury advice and prognosis displayed in this guide. Please be advised that the examples of injuries and their prognosis are based on typical representation of those injuries that we frequently see in our clinic. Information provided is not intended as representation of every individual s potential injury. As with any condition, each person s symptoms can vary widely and each person s recovery from injury can also vary depending upon background, genetics, previous medical history, application of exercises, posture, motivation to follow physical therapy advice and various other factors. It is impossible to give 100% complete accurate diagnosis and prognosis without a thorough physical examination. We are able to offer you this service at a standard charge. Significant injury is always possible if you do not seek suitable professional advice in a timely manner. No guarantees of specific results are made or implied in this report. 5