Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Pregnancy, Parenting, and Low Back Pain

Many back problems can come from lifting your children and all the "baby stuff" after a child is born. Using smart common spinal awareness can prevent painful flare ups and strains that can keep you from precious family time.

How to Pick Up Your Kids:

Low back and neck injuries are very commonly seen in new parents and even grandparents. Moms and Dads spend a lot of time bending and lifting newborns and all of their supplies and bags. When taking care of a baby it's critical not to have an injured back.

First, get as close to your child as possible. You want to have your arms right next to your body, not extended in front of you. Next, always bend with your knees, and never bend over with straight legs. Remember to lift like an elevator, not like a crane.

Next, tighten your stomach muscles. When you activate your abdominal muscles, you're taking a lot of potential strain off the lower back. Your abdominal muscles are designed to carry the weight. Finally, straighten your legs, continuing to activate your stomach muscles, holding your child close to you.

With a little practice, safe lifting will become a habit.

If  you're pregnant, Congratulations! Your body's changing-wondrously, marvelously. One unexpected and unwelcome change may be lower back pain. Recent studies suggest that two-thirds of pregnant women experience lower back pain. These statistics seem reasonable. The weight of the growing baby, plus the weight of the placenta and amniotic fluid, create an unbalanced load in front of the lower back. The result is irritation of spinal ligaments, muscles, tendons and nerves causing pain, muscle spasm, and loss of mobility.

That said, the vast majority of cases of back pain in pregnancy are mechanical in origin.  If back pain arises a proper chiropractic postural stress examination can determine the correct course of treatment.  In conjunction with chiropractic care specific stretching and gentle exercises can help prevent recurrences of lower back problems. The goal is to strengthen your lower back and minimize the mechanical effects of pregnancy.

The best method of preventing back pain in the first place is being fit. This includes healthy nutrition, gaining a moderate amount of weight, and regular exercise. The average healthy woman gains between 25 and 35 pounds during the course of her pregnancy.

Let's fast forward a few years. Your newborn is now a toddler. Parents know that if you have kids, stuff happens. You bend over to place a bulky car seat in your car. Then you place your child in it. And then, you bend over to remove the car seat from your car. If you've gone to the mall, kids want daddy or mommy to carry them. Pick them up, cart them around, put them down again. What's a parent to do? It's not like you can avoid any of these activities. Your kids are kids - it's up to you to do stuff for them. The answer lies in good posture and regular exercise.

"But how will I find time to exercise, when there already isn't enough time to do the things I need to do?" That's a tough question... but if you recognize the benefits, you'll make the effort to make the time. Even carving out a half hour workout, three or four times a week can make a huge difference. And, once you're in the habit of exercising,  you'll notice it's easier to lift your kids, easier to bend over, easier to carry them.  It's easier because you're more fit and stronger for a healthier family lifestyle.




Pennick VE, Young G: Interventions for preventing and treating pelvic and back pain in pregnancy. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 18(2):CD001139, 2007.
Sax TW, Rosenbaum RB: Neuromuscular disorders in pregnancy. Muscle Nerve 34(5):559-571, 2006.

Jain NJ, et al: Maternal obesity: can pregnancy weight gain modify risk of selected adverse pregnancy outcomes? Am J Perinatol 24(5):291-298, 2007. 


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