Alleviate Pregnancy Back Aches and Pains with Proper Posture

With all of the changes that occur in the body during pregnancy, pain is a common occurrence. Pregnant women often feel hopeless in alleviating this pain because common pain killers are not advised. One way to prevent or alleviate pregnancy pain is using better posture.

This picture shows the common posture changes during pregnancy that commonly lead to pain and discomfort.  It also shows what good posture looks like.

The common posture changes during pregnancy are:

• The pelvis rocks anterior (forward) to balance the weight of the developing fetus. This will accentuate the curve in the lower back putting more strain on the joints, muscles, and ligaments.
• In response, the upper back will curve backwards. This results in rounded shoulders which compresses the chest.
• In turn, the head will shift forward, putting stress throughout the neck and into the upper back.

These common posture changes put significant stress on the neck, upper back, lower back, pelvis, and hips.  This stress commonly leads to pregnancy headaches, upper back pain, lower back pain, pelvic pain, and hip pain.

So what is proper posture during pregnancy and how can you achieve it? Although the posture described above is a common response to the growing fetus, the pregnant woman can consciously improve posture to avoid pregnancy pain and problems.  

Here are tips for better posture:

• Keep your ears over your shoulders.
• Pull your shoulder blades together to avoid rounding your upper back.
• Tuck your tailbone toward your belly button to avoid the accentuated low back curve.  Be sure not to completely flatten the lower back as you do want to maintain a curve in the lower back.  You will need to use your abdominal muscles to do this. (Click here to watch the Pelvic Rock exercise that can help improve abdominal muscle strength)
• Keep the knees slightly bent.
• Keep even pressure on both feet.

Not only will using better posture help you avoid many common pregnancy aches and pains, it can also improve the function of the organs inside your body.  The picture above does a great job showing the effects of good pregnancy posture and bad pregnancy posture on the body.  The overall health of the mom-to-be and the developing baby are greatly affected when proper pregnancy posture is used. 

Drs. Quintin and Katie Sleigh care for many pregnant women in their office.  They help them have healthier, less pain free pregnancies.  Chiropractic care is gentle and safe throughout pregnancy.  Call today to schedule your evaluation: 847-788-0880!