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Babies, Buggies and Backs

Around 80% of women experience back pain during pregnancy, but nearly one in ten experience persistent pain after giving birth. Chiropractor Richard Brown looks at reasons for this and gives some advice on reducing the effects of this disabling condition.

Most of us will suffer from back pain at some point during our lives. But for new mums, back pain can bring misery to what should be a time of joy and happiness. Research has shown that around 9% of women develop postpartum back pain – back pain following childbirth – and on average this can last up to 6 months. So why do mums suffer and what can be done to reduce the likelihood of your bouncing bundle causing newborn nightmares?

During late pregnancy the body secretes a hormone called Relaxin. This causes muscles and ligaments to soften so that the pelvis can move to allow childbirth to take place. However, after birth things don’t always firm up as quickly as they should, particularly during breast feeding, and mums can be more susceptible to back pain during this time.

The lower back (also known as the lumbar spine) is particularly vulnerable. This is the main load bearing part of the spine and, along with the two large sacroiliac (pelvic) joints most strains and sprains occur in this area.

At a time when backs are vulnerable, lifting and carrying increase the strain on the spine. The total dependency of a newborn baby means thousands of lifting manoeuvres in the first few months. Whether it’s feeding in the early hours, bathing and changing or simply moving the baby from room to room, there is plenty of potential for lifting injuries to occur. But add fatigue and exhaustion into the equation and backs start seeming very fragile.

The stress on the back is not simply a few pounds of wriggling baby, as any modern mum would testify. Even the most minor of trips requires military planning; spares of everything from nappies, bottles, food, wipes, clothes, blankets and every other conceivable piece of baby paraphernalia often means packing an oversized rucksack and resembling a student embarking on a gap year to the Himalayas.

Then there’s the baby seat. Seemingly hewn from granite, these enormous baby-receptacles tick all the boxes for being everything-proof but require near superhuman strength to carry them even the short distance to the car. And then the fun starts. Unless you’ve had the foresight to buy a seven seat people carrier (or should that read ‘mum-and-one-single-8lb-passenger carrier’) with a sliding side door to accommodate the baby seat, just lifting baby into the car can be a feat of strength and endurance to rival an Olympic athlete. Add the fact that someone in the supermarket car park has parked so that you can only open the door about eight inches, you suddenly start being envious of the double-jointed girl in your class who could bend her ankle behind her neck…

So how best can back pain be avoided as a new mum? Well, there are a number of strategies that can help to reduce back pain or prevent it arising in the first place.