Back Pain in Pregnancy- Is it common?
Back pain during pregnancy is common. Back pain may be caused by several factors that are related to changes during your pregnancy.
Follow these instructions at home:
Managing pain, stiffness, and swelling
- If
directed, apply ice for sudden (acute) back pain.
- Put ice in a plastic bag.
- Place a towel between your skin and the bag.
- Leave the ice on for 20 minutes, 2–3 times per day.
- If
directed, apply heat to the affected area before you exercise:
- Place a towel between your skin and the heat pack or heating pad.
- Leave the heat on for 20–30 minutes.
- Remove the heat if your skin turns bright red. This is especially important if you are unable to feel pain, heat, or cold. You may have a greater risk of getting burned.
Activity
- Exercise as told by your health care provider. Exercising is the best way to prevent or manage back pain.
- Listen to your body when lifting. If lifting hurts, ask for help or bend your knees. This uses your leg muscles instead of your back muscles.
- Squat down when picking up something from the floor. Do notbend over.
- Only use bed rest as told by your health care provider. Bed rest should only be used for the most severe episodes of back pain.
Standing, Sitting, and Lying Down
- Do notstand in one place for long periods of time.
- Use good posture when sitting. Make sure your head rests over your shoulders and is not hanging forward. Use a pillow on your lower back if necessary.
- Try sleeping on your side, preferably the left side, with a pillow or two between your legs. If you are sore after a night’s rest, your bed may be too soft. A firm mattress may provide more support for your back during pregnancy.
General instructions
- Do notwear high heels.
- Eat a healthy diet. Try to gain weight within your health care provider’s recommendations.
- Use a maternity girdle, elastic sling, or back brace as told by your health care provider.
- Take over-the-counter and prescription medicines only as told by your health care provider.
- Keep all follow-up visits as told by your health care provider. This is important. This includes any visits with any specialists, such as a physical therapist.
Contact a health care provider if:
- Your back pain interferes with your daily activities.
- You have increasing pain in other parts of your body.
Get help right away if:
- You develop numbness, tingling, weakness, or problems with the use of your arms or legs.
- You develop severe back pain that is not controlled with medicine.
- You have a sudden change in bowel or bladder control.
- You develop shortness of breath, dizziness, or you faint.
- You develop nausea, vomiting, or sweating.
- You have back pain that is a rhythmic, cramping pain similar to labor pains. Labor pain is usually 1–2 minutes apart, lasts for about 1 minute, and involves a bearing down feeling or pressure in your pelvis.
- You have back pain and your water breaks or you have vaginal bleeding.
- You have back pain or numbness that travels down your leg.
- Your back pain developed after you fell.
- You develop pain on one side of your back.
- You see blood in your urine.
- You develop skin blisters in the area of your back pain.
