Typically at the beginning of the year I write about New Year’s Resolutions and how to keep them, how to chose the right club or trainer, or how to prepare foods that help you lose those extra Holiday pounds. This year I decided to go a different route. My education favors clearly the work with special populations and the rehabilitation of a variety of orthopedic, neurological and internal medicine conditions. So besides attacking main stream fitness issues I will dedicate a portion of my 2012 Blog to tips on rehab. My first blog is a tribute to all women who have gone or are currently going through the most incredible transformation: Pregnancy and the sometimes not so incredible side effects.
Low Back Pain is very common during pregnancy (50-70% of pregnant women) especially as changes in weight and center of gravity put added strain on your spine. As a Physio Therapist I want to know whether exercises can make a difference and if so which exercises to choose.
Looking at research, there are four major studies out, that have evaluated this situation with different conclusions. Two of the studies did see increased value in adding lumbar stabilization exercises in order to treat low back pain in pregnant women, two studies found no significant difference between pregnant women who did engage in such exercises and those who did not. I concluded based on those four studies that pelvic lumbar stabilization exercises appear to be helpful certainly are not likely to cause additional pain and therefore to be recommended.
Simple low back stability exercises include, but are not limited to:
- Posterior Pelvic Tilt
- Hip Abduction
- Bridging
- Side Plank
- Hip/Leg Extension from Quadruped Position
any of these exercises can be modified to accomodate mom’s prior experience with core stability training and her level of fitness.
I hope this little bit of info is helpful to all becoming moms and helps make your pregnancy a little easier.
Best wishes,
Hartmut Broring – M.S. Physio Therapy
Founder and President
Back In Form, Inc.