How To Ease Pregnancy Back Pain?

How To Ease Pregnancy Back Pain
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  1. Practice good posture. As your baby grows, your center of gravity shifts forward.
  2. Get the right gear. Wear low-heeled — not flat — shoes with good arch support.
  3. Lift properly.
  4. Sleep on your side.
  5. Try heat, cold or massage.
  6. Include physical activity in your daily routine.
  7. Consider complementary therapies.

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Contents

When should you worry about back pain during pregnancy?

When to contact your health care provider? – Experiencing back pain is usually not a reason to contact your health care provider, but there are situations where contacting your provider is necessary. You want to contact your health care provider if you are experiencing any of the following:

Severe back pain Increasingly severe or abrupt-onset of back pain Rhythmic cramping pains–This could be a sign of preterm labor.

Severe back pain may be related to pregnancy-associated osteoporosis, vertebral osteoarthritis, or septic arthritis. These are not common, but it is something your health care provider will examine for if you are experiencing severe back pain.
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Why does my back really hurt while pregnant?

It is very common to get backache or back pain during pregnancy, especially in the early stages. During pregnancy, the ligaments in your body naturally become softer and stretch to prepare you for labour. This can put a strain on the joints of your lower back and pelvis, which can cause back pain.
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Is heating pad OK on back when pregnant?

– It’s fine to use a heating pad to find relief from pregnancy-related aches and pains in your back, hips, and joints. But avoid using it for longer than 20 minutes. Start with the lowest setting, and make sure you don’t fall asleep with it. You can also try a microwaveable heat pack or a hot water bottle.
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Can a pregnant woman lay on her stomach for a massage?

If it is comfortable to you, you may safely lay on your belly, but make sure you are well hydrated and stay clear of ‘deep tissue massage’.
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What cream can I use for back pain while pregnant?

The bottom line. Acetaminophen is considered the safest OTC option for pain relief during pregnancy. OTC topical medications, like menthol or lidocaine, may also be considered safe to use. But make sure to avoid NSAIDs — both oral and topical — unless otherwise directed.
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Is it OK to use Tiger Balm when pregnant?

Which complementary therapies can help with headaches? – There’s mixed evidence about how effective complementary therapies are for treating headaches. But you may want to try them, especially if you’re reluctant to take painkillers while you’re pregnant.

  1. Always talk to your midwife or GP first, and see a registered therapist who’s experienced in treating pregnant women.
  2. Acupuncture and acupressure These therapies work on the principle that points in your body can be stimulated, with needles or through touch, to improve your symptoms.
  3. Acupuncture or acupressure may ease your headaches (Linde et al 2016),

Acupuncture is a recommended treatment for both tension-type headaches and migraines (NHS 2016, Linde 2016), Aromatherapy Aromatherapy oils may help to relax you, which may ease your headache. Put two drops of peppermint or lavender oil on a tissue and breathe it in as often as you find it helpful.

  • Or rub one drop of each into your temples on either side of your forehead.
  • Be careful which oil you choose though, as some aromatherapy oils can cause headaches, especially if you use them in a room diffuser (vaporiser) or for too long a period of time.
  • If you use a diffuser at home, use only one or two drops of the oil and only leave the diffuser on for a maximum of 15 minutes.

If you find your headaches becoming worse, or more frequent, stop using any oils. Biofeedback This technique helps you to understand the functions in your body that you can’t control, such as your digestion, or your blood pressure. Once you have information about those functions, you may be able to learn how to change the way they affect you (Andrasik 2010),

  • During biofeedback, precise instruments measure physiological activity such as brainwaves, and feed the information back to you.
  • Matching this information to how you were thinking, feeling and behaving at the time, may allow you to address your pain.
  • The idea is that you will eventually learn to understand and deal with the pain without needing instruments to tell what’s going on in your body.
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It’s hard to say how effective biofeedback is, because there’s been limited research into the treatment. During a biofeedback session, your therapist will guide you into deep relaxation, and help you to focus on your body. This technique in itself may help you to feel less stressed, which may improve your headaches (Marc et al 2011),

Herbal remedies Most herbal remedies traditionally taken for headaches, such as tiger balm and feverfew, are not safe in pregnancy (Pareek et al 2011), Tiger balm uses wintergreen oil as a key ingredient. Wintergreen oil contains methyl salicylate, which is related to aspirin. Because aspirin is not recommended during pregnancy, it’s best to avoid using tiger balm (Bumps 2019),

Don’t take evening primrose oil in pregnancy, as it may trigger contractions and even cause premature labour (Wilson 2016), Homeopathy There’s no evidence that homeopathic treatments work, but if you want to try them, consult a qualified, registered homeopath before taking any homeopathic remedies.

  • Osteopathy and chiropractic Osteopathy and chiropractic aim to realign your muscles, bones and joints.
  • They are particularly helpful for back, shoulder and neck pain, which may in turn help to ease headaches (NHS 2018b, Skarica 2018),
  • Reflexology Reflexology is a complementary therapy in which the feet are thought to represent a map of the body.

It uses specific techniques in massaging the feet to treat particular conditions. If your headache is caused by stress or tiredness, reflexology may help to make you feel less stressed and improve your sleep, which may ease your headaches (Imani et al 2018; McCullough et al 2018),

Imagine that the top surface of your big toe is the front of your head (your face), and the under-surface of your big toe is the back of your head. The side of your big toe nearest the next toe is the outer edge of your head and ears. The other side of your big toe represents the middle of your head.Now feel for the part of your toe that corresponds to where the pain is in your head. If it is in your right temple, the reflexology point will be on the edge of your right big toe, closest to the second toe. If your headache is at the base of your skull, the reflexology point will be on the underside of your big toe in the middle, possibly on both big toes. Press this area until you feel a very tender spot on your toe, then press with your thumb as firmly as you can cope with until it stops hurting. It may take up to two minutes for the tenderness beneath your thumb to pass off. You may have to ask someone to do this for you if you can’t reach. Repeat four times or five times until the area of your toe is no longer tender, and see if your headache reduces.

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Discover how to deal with these other pregnancy discomforts:

pelvic pain heartburn sleepless nights swelling (oedema)

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What pain relief can you take when pregnant?

What if I have already used a painkiller during pregnancy? – Paracetamol is the painkiller of choice for use in pregnancy and its use does not require medical supervision. It is not uncommon for women to have used other types of painkiller early in pregnancy before finding out they are pregnant.

  1. In general, this type of use is not expected to harm the baby.
  2. It is important that women who take an NSAID long-term who become pregnant consult their doctor as, if possible, their medicine will need to be altered before week 30 of pregnancy.
  3. Pregnant women with long-term pain and/or specific pain conditions should speak to their doctor about appropriate pain relief options.

Women taking opiates/opioids and painkillers for neuropathic pain around the time of delivery may be advised to have their baby at a hospital with facilities for treating the baby after birth for any withdrawal symptoms.
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Can I take ibuprofen while pregnant?

Ibuprofen is not a first-choice pain reliever during pregnancy. It’s not recommended after the 20th week of pregnancy because it may harm your baby’s kidneys, lungs, and heart. Before week 20 of pregnancy, talk to your healthcare provider to see if ibuprofen is a good option for you.
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