Often after childbirth, women complain of the presence of unpleasant sensations in the back, characterized by acute or pulling pain. The reasons for this may be various factors accompanying the young mother during pregnancy, childbirth and after them.
Causes
Pain in the back directly depends on the condition of the abdominal muscles. Over the entire period of bearing a child, they diverge to the sides, stretch and lengthen, which leads to a shortening of the lumbar muscles. Their modification leads to the formation of a “cavity” in the lumbar region and protrusion of the abdomen. As a result, when lifting weights, bending and squats, severe back pain occurs.
During pregnancy, the woman’s posture underwent significant changes. The expanding belly “forced” her to constantly lean back, bending over in the lumbar and thoracic spine. After the growing fetus “settled” on the right or left side of the uterus, the woman began to noticeably distort. And during pregnancy, all cartilage joints soften and swell. Improper body position entails infringement of the intervertebral nerves and the formation of systematic muscle spasms, leading to the formation of back pain.
Sprain of the pelvic muscles, which occurs during childbirth, can contribute to the formation of back pain. The birth canal is very narrow and at the time of passage of the fetus through it, it is greatly stretched, which leads to these consequences.
According to statistics, those women who were not physically prepared for childbirth, that is, did not do special gymnastics, mainly suffer from pronounced unpleasant sensations in the back. This does not mean at all that those who during pregnancy prepared themselves for the upcoming birth do not experience back pain. No. It just is not as pronounced as in the first case.
However, not only the physical preparation of a woman affects the presence of back pain. Here, the change in the hormonal background, causing metamorphosis of the ligaments and joints, is of great importance.
In addition, the condition of the spine before pregnancy affects the nature of the pain. If he had curvatures, and the woman already at that time felt pain, then after childbirth this pain can only intensify.
Birth injury can cause back pain. It is usually understood as displacement of the vertebrae of the sacro-lumbar spine and femoral joints. Basically, this problem worries women with high weight and those who entered the birth unprepared.
During pregnancy, a woman’s body undergoes significant changes. The growing fetus simply “pushes” the internal organs from their “rightful” place. After childbirth, they fall into place, however, this process can not take place without a trace. So, for example, the kidneys, which are located on the lumbar-iliac muscle of the abdominal cavity, during pregnancy can go down or turn around, which leads to the formation of dull lower back pain after childbirth. This pain can give down – to the leg or to the perineum.
The woman’s body independently prepares for the upcoming birth: the hips and pubic bones are moved apart, the tailbone goes backwards. Naturally, such processes do not just happen. And throughout the postpartum period, a woman can be bothered by pain both in the perineum and in the back.
Well, and, of course, it is impossible not to say about the enormous loads that the female body experiences after childbirth. Caring for a child takes all the time and energy. There is practically no time for rest, constant stay on the feet and frequent carrying of the baby in his arms give a big load to the spine, which has already “suffered” during pregnancy and childbirth.
What to do?
Regardless of the nature of the back pain, you need to contact a specialist and tell him about your symptoms. Your doctor will need to refer you to an MRI scan to make sure there is no or presence of an intervertebral hernia. If necessary, a doctor may prescribe an ultrasound of the internal organs, x-rays and other studies. If the back pain is caused by the discharge of the tailbone or other bones, then most likely the doctor will prescribe you a referral to a chiropractor.
As a rule, exercise therapy and physiotherapeutic procedures are used to eliminate pain in the back that appeared after childbirth. In rare cases, resort to medical treatment. It more effectively relieves pain, but it requires the cessation of breastfeeding, since most of the components included in the composition of drugs are prohibited for use during lactation.
If your back hurts after giving birth, then you can relieve the pain yourself, following the following recommendations:
- try to avoid physical exertion within six months after giving birth, as during this period the muscles are very vulnerable. If you have relatives and friends who have the opportunity to help you with household chores, be sure to ask for their help. During the recovery period after childbirth, a woman needs more rest;
- every day you need to do gymnastics for postpartum recovery, gradually increasing the load. To avoid various complications, it is necessary to ask the doctor for a lesson in gymnastics;
- when caring for a child, the main thing is to distribute the load so that it does not cause excessive tension of the lumbar and back. All accessories (bath, peleninal table, bed, etc.) should be located at a level convenient for you, so that you do not have to bend over;
- to distribute a uniform load on the vertebra when carrying a child, it is necessary to use a sling;
- if you need to lift something off the floor, don’t bend over, rather sit down, while keeping your back straight. So the whole load goes not to the back, but to the legs;
- avoid bending, if necessary, then kneel instead;
- while breastfeeding, find ways to do this. Your body should not strain;
- if there are no contraindications to wearing a postpartum bandage or muscle corset, then do not neglect them;
- while the baby is sleeping, try to give the body an opportunity to relieve stress and rest on his back;
- You can sleep only on a hard mattress;
- if there are extra pounds, they must be dropped, since they also give a large load on the musculoskeletal system, as a result of which pain can occur not only in the back, but also in the legs. During breastfeeding, try to lose weight gradually, the calorie content of the daily menu should not exceed 2000 – 2500 kcal.
Remember, the best way to get rid of back pain is to prepare your body in advance for the upcoming birth. Do gymnastics, monitor your posture!
