Physical therapy can be quite helpful for pregnant women because it can be used to remedy discomforts like lower back pain and improve the woman’s experience during pregnancy and at delivery. Available research indicates that as many as 70% of pregnant women experience back pain and while the reasons for lower back pain are different for different women, physical therapy regimens can help most of them if they are incorporated in prenatal care.
At Oklahoma Physical Therapy, our physical therapists are certified to offer proper education that will help you understand home-based solutions to reduce pain in your lower back. We also offer physical therapy sessions that will effectively and safely treat your lower back pain and all other pregnancy-related back pain problems throughout your pregnancy and even after childbirth.
Causes of lower back pain during pregnancy
- A significant increase in hormones
- A significant gain in weight
- A change in your body’s COG (center of gravity)
- Added pregnancy stress
- A significant decline in body posture
Incidences of back pain among pregnant women age 35 and above are quite high, especially if those women are not very physically active because their professions have decreased physical activity. For this reason, many women today are underprepared for pregnancy and the stresses involved in carrying the pregnancy to term as well as giving birth.
For expectant mothers, lower back pain often results from the change in their center of gravity as the baby and uterus grow. The change in their center of gravity increases the force that the muscles need to adequately support the woman. This is why many of them slump forward.
Consequently, muscle tightness develops over time in the pectoral muscles due to the poor posture, ultimately increasing the stress of the mid-back, shoulders, and neck muscles. Failing to address this growing muscle stress will over time affect the lower back.
How Oklahoma Physical Therapy Can Help
Physical therapists at Oklahoma Physical Therapy will work with you to design a treatment plan that will eliminate your lower back pain by addressing the underlying causes. The physical therapy specialists are ready to diagnose and begin a treatment regimen from your very first visit.
Contact us today and get an individualized physical therapy treatment plan to deal with your lower back pain.