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.

The secret to clearing this up then is to deal with the muscle imbalances and correct your posture. If you'd like to learn more about how to improve back pain and the sciatic nerve during pregnancy, please check out my Lose the Back Pain review, where I discuss a popular and effective method for eliminating back pain.

Pregnancy Back Support

Studies show that 50% of women experience chronic back pain during pregnancy. Aside from this, they experience pain in the pelvic area. Pain disrupts their daily life. It prevents them from carrying out their daily activities. In some cases, severe pain results in incapacity. Women become bedridden in the entire pregnancy duration. Approximately 8% of women have experienced severe disability because of back pain. Therefore, manufacturers of garments have made clothing items to support the body during pregnancy.
The most common maternity garments are belts, girdles, and support bands. Maternity belts are elastic fabrics wrapped around the waist and hips. Maternity belts push belly the upward, easing the weight needed to be carried by the back. There are three types of maternity belts. These are standard pregnancy belt, prenatal cradles, and abdominal support pregnancy belt. Standard pregnancy belt provides moderate support on the abdominal and back area. They are the simplest kind of belly support belt for pregnant women.
Prenatal cradles provide the maximum support on the abdomen and back. A prenatal cradle has a crisscross design on the chest, extending towards the shoulders and back. Side expanders provide a firm support on the waist and back. The support points lift the weight from the pelvic cradle, relieving the back from heavy weight.
Moreover, abdominal support belt functions like prenatal cradles. It provides maximum support on the abdomen and back. It has an abdominal strap that wraps the upper abdomen. This envelops the entire abdominal area, decreasing belly movement during exercise. They are recommended for active pregnant women who love to exercise. Straps of pregnancy belly support belts are fastened by Velcro adhesives.
Pregnant women have distinct needs. The degree of pregnancy back support depends on the heaviness of the abdominal area. Likewise, this depends on one's pregnancy duration. Women need maximum support on the third trimester of pregnancy. The womb is expanding enormously, causing maximum protrusion of the upper and lower abdomen.
Belts for pregnancy belly support lessen back pain during pregnancy. There are support belts that resemble a camisole. This type of abdominal inner wear is a combination of maternity bra, maternity belt, and support band. Now, heavy belly mass is not a problem for pregnant women. Maternity undergarments provide adequate support for a woman's body.