According to an analysis of the databases in PubMed, half of all pregnant women experience pregnancy-related lower back pain. Of those, 80% say back pain affects their daily activities. If you’re experiencing lower back pain from pregnancy, relief is possible — here’s what you need to know.
Back pain during pregnancy: Cause and effect
What to do if you experience extreme back pain during pregnancy
Overall, lower back pain during pregnancy is a common occurrence and usually nothing to worry about. Proper rest, adequate movement and exercise, and a combination of relaxation techniques and the use of lumbar support products should relieve lower back pain. But some back pain may indicate something more serious and merits a consultation with your doctor.
Sciatica
Some pregnant women experience sciatica pain during pregnancy. Sciatica occurs when a bulging disk in the spine presses against nerves, causing back pain to radiate down into the leg and cause numbness.
As painful as it is, sciatica is not harmful to your baby. “As a result of the weight gain, there can be a lot more aches and pains. And sometimes in a second pregnancy, there are even earlier and more exaggerated symptoms than before,” OB-GYN Rebecca Starck, MD, told Cleveland Clinic.
Dr. Starck recommends several ways of relieving the pain of sciatica during pregnancy:
- Warm showers
- Use a heating pad
- Practice yoga
- Massage therapy
- See a chiropractor
- Talk to your doctor about medication for pain relief, such as Tylenol
- Ask your doctor if physical therapy would be appropriate
Pre-term labor
Back pain that won’t let up or that increases in intensity should be addressed by a health care provider, as it can be indicative of preterm labor.
Graham’s Foundation is a support organization for parents of preemies. The website offers a forum where parents can connect and share their stories. In an article chronicling the signs of premature labor, one forum user named Jennifer relayed her main symptom.
“Back pain! Unbearable back pain! It turns out that it was back labor and my contractions weren’t even showing up on the monitor because they were all in my back, not uterus.”
When to seek immediate medical attention
If your back pain is accompanied by the following symptoms it warrants an immediate call to your doctor:
- Cramps or contractions at regular intervals
- Vaginal discharge or bleeding
- Fever
- Numbness in the extremities
- Pain when urinating
