Have ever had low back pain, worried about getting low back pain or wondered, “What causes low back pain in the first place?” If so, you are going to want to read this ENTIRELY and share with EVERY MOTHER you know!
We are constantly trying to understand ourselves and our environments. Waking up with low back pain is frustrating and worrisome because we don’t know what caused it and if our back pain is serious. If these concerns and worries sound similar to the ones you have had, you need to read on to learn more about what you can do RIGHT NOW to change your future and improve your low back pain. So without further adieu, here are the five reasons you (or someone you know) have or might be prone to low back pain if you are a mom (or expecting).
There are changes in your pelvic floor
Many women who have had a C-section are surprised to find out that they have become incontinent. While that may seem unrelated to low back pain, the reality is, those two muscle groups (pelvic floor and low back) along with a few others (diaphragm and TrA) are what keep your back feeling good and prevents leaks. Baby’s, as wonderful as they are, totally wreak havoc on a woman’s body. They stretch out the abs, sometimes the pelvic musculature, arch the low back and change the way your diaphragm works. Yikes! It is for this reason that back pain and incontinence commonly exist after childbirth and for some women persists. This is why regaining control of the pelvic floor is so important because it is the gait way into fixing your low back pain.
Your recliner is setting you up for failure
Our low backs have a natural curve in them. When we sit on really soft surfaces like our couch or recliner to hold/feed our children, the curve in your low back reverses. Even though your back are meant to bend in either direction, repetitive reversal of that curvature can start to cause or perpetuate that low back pain. It is for that reason that you need to get back support to keep the natural curve you have in your low back supported.
Cribs are your low back’s worst enemy
You’ve hear the mantra, “Lift with your knees!” It is true. Lifting with your knees, reduces the stresses and pressure through your low back. Unfortunately, there is no getting around that when you have a newborn/infant/toddler who still requires the use of a crib. While you are forced to bend over to put in/pick up your child, you are putting exponentially higher, potentially harmful, forces through your low back which, again, can cause or exacerbate your low back pain. While your child’s safety is paramount, it might be time to start getting your spouse involved a little more with this duty, at least until your back is feeling better.
Twisting with load is bad
When I have people come into my office with low back pain I will sometimes say, “Let me guess, you picked something up while twisting, you heard a ‘pop’ and then your back went out.” The response I usually get after that is a wide-eyed expression and the question, “How did you know?” I am no clairvoyant, I have just seen that scenario played out about a 100,000 times. Twisting with loaded spine is not good for your back, especially if it is already weak. I’m sure at this point you are thinking, “I twist my back while holding the baby in one hand while going back and forth between two surfaces ALL THE TIME.” I know I personally do when my daughter Ruby is having a melt down and needs a bottle STAT! The truth is, twisting with a loaded spine, is a great way to injure your back. The trick to avoiding this potentially dangerous situation is to pivot with your feet instead of twisting with your back.
Sleep deprivation prevents healing
Remember when you used to get a full 8 hours of sleep? Those days are gone. Even the prospect of sleeping in until 8 is a distant memory. While sleepless nights seem to be the norm, there is a serious consequence to this new lifestyle besides the huge uptick in coffee consumption: your body can’t heal itself. That’s right, sleep is the time when the body heals itself from all the wear and tear we put on while we are awake. If we don’t get enough sleep, the body can’t heal itself and the cycle continues a downward spiral.
What to do
I know that some of the items that I have listed are unavoidable for some of you if you have a newborn child. Don’t worry, there is still hope! There are lots of other things you can do to set yourself up for success and either stop or prevent low back pain. All of that information can be found in my FREE REPORT on how to end low back pain with 14 different and effective tips. You can just click here. Or if that isn’t your thing, you can call our office to get a FREE phone consultation or FREE discovery with me, Dr. Christian Robertozzi, PT. Our office number is 479-402-9400.
