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Top Injuries Felt by Moms and Moms-to-Be: Back Pain

Top Injuries Felt by Moms and Moms-to-Be: Back Pain

Caroline McIntosh-Iwasaki RMT

Caroline McIntosh-Iwasaki has a lot of experience helping moms get their bodies back in shape after pregnancy. This article is her second in a series on injuries moms and moms-to-be often experience. Today, she discusses back pain.

Low Back Pain

Low back pain can be caused by a number of things, but during pregnancy the most common reasons are tight muscles, sacroiliac joint dysfunction (where the two hip bones connect with the tailbone), or sciatica.

With all low back pain, strengthening your core will do wonders to ease your pain. This must be directed by a health care professional who will prescribe a variety of exercises that are suitable for you and that will help prevent further damage. With sacroiliac joint dysfunction, other measures such as a stability belt can help.

Moms with small children often continue to have low back pain post-pregnancy due to instability and weakness, but also from the exhausting task of childcare itself. The constant bending to pick up the kids or to clean up after them is very hard on low backs. As hard as it is for moms to think of themselves, it’s critical to help prevent an injury. So go ahead, give yourself permission to think of your health first.

Mid Back/Shoulders and Neck Pain

With pregnancy, motherhood, office work and almost anything, people slump. We round our shoulders, stick our neck forward and hunch our mid back.

During pregnancy, this poor posture is exaggerated by the weight gain in both the abdominal area and breasts. In motherhood, carrying, lifting and breastfeeding all contribute to slumping. Again, there are many exercises to improve and reduce this, but simply put, we have to stretch the front of our body and strengthen the back. Our chest and anterior neck muscles tend to shorten and work inefficiently. Our mid back is usually not strong enough to support this pull forward and certain muscles overcompensate, resulting in pain.

The first step in prevention and healing is simply being aware of our posture. Tuck your chin in, roll those shoulders back, and allow your chest to open up. Remember these are simple instructions, but setting your shoulders properly is much more intricate than it sounds, so don’t be afraid to ask for help.

PhysioWorks is a progressive multidisciplinary clinic offering physiotherapy, massage therapy, and active rehabilitation services to Kitsilano, Point Grey, and surrounding communities. Our team is dedicated to providing quality care through effective and customized treatment programs. For more information, please visit our website at www.ptworks.ca.

Originally from Ontario, Caroline McIntosh-Iwasaki RMT began her practice in 2002. Her love of Vancouver brought her here in 2007 where she now happily works and resides in Kitsilano with her husband and son.

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