It’s been days and even weeks after giving birth and yet, you find yourself still having frequent backaches… What exactly is the problem? Here are five reasons why your back pain does not seem to be going away:
Weak Muscles
Pregnancy weakens a lot of muscles in both the stomach and back due to posture from overcompensating for all the weight in front. When the baby comes, women are left without weight in the front, but a persistent, seemingly unexplainable back pain.
This problem will not be solved overnight, but with exercise, it will slowly get better. Work on building the muscles back up in the abdomen and back areas. Also, remember to work on better posture habits.
Tough labour
If a woman experiences especially difficult labour she may experience back pain after the baby comes, even if she didn’t suffer at any other time during pregnancy. This is due to some birthing positions, enduring long labour, and having difficulty pushing. Along with other complications, post-pregnancy back pain could be an issue after everything is said and done.
To get relief, a chiropractor is in order. He/she can fix an out of place vertebrae or repair misplaced tissue. Yoga would also be helpful as it helps the body realign itself.
Epidural
Many health professionals claim that epidurals do not cause long-lasting post-pregnancy back pain, but thousands of women disagree. Some women even claim to be suffering for decades after the epidural was administered. Since many of those in the healthcare field disagree about this phenomenon, there hasn’t been much research into the actual cause of the pain.
Some believe it is due to damaged nerve endings, some claim it damages the spinal cord, some think it is a tissue problem, etc. There are many theories. Considering there is no exact cause known, it is hard to agree on a post-pregnancy back pain cure, but one thing that many swear by is regular massages. Acupuncture may also be worth trying.
Since many of those in the healthcare field disagree about this phenomenon, there hasn’t been much research into the actual cause of the pain.
Posture
A lot of women use and admit to bad posture during pregnancy (and have a good excuse), but few think they have posture post-pregnancy because the weight is no longer in the front. Unfortunately, many women fall into habits with their baby that is considered bad posture and will cause them back pain.
For example, when you breastfeed, do you pull the baby up to breast or bring the breast down to baby? If you bring breast down to the baby, you are inadvertently causing your own back pain by practising bad posture. If you slouch when rocking the baby in a rocking chair, you are practising bad posture.
To relieve bad posture pain, you will simply need to correct these habits. Sit up straight at all times. Do not slouch while rocking or breastfeeding. Within a short time, you should notice improvements and less pain.
Nutrient deficiencies
Some do not agree, but your back pain could be caused by missing out on nutrients. With breastfeeding taking a lot out of your body, you might not be getting all that you need. To solve this problem, be sure to take a multivitamin and eat a balanced diet as much as possible. If this doesn’t relieve your back pain, check out some of the previous causes and forms of relief.
Back pain will only temporarily be relieved from pain medicine and warm baths. This means that in a few hours, it will probably come back. To end the pain once and for all, first, find the cause and then the cure to that cause. Treat the disease, not the symptoms.
———-
Learn more about how to alleviate pain and remedies for post-pregnancy back pain with Mama’s Choice.
Mama’s Choice has written a guide for dealing with back pain during pregnancy which you can find here.
Are you suffering with back pain with your growing belly? These pregnancy pillows can help you.
