How To Manage Back Spasms During Pregnancy

The good news of expecting a baby makes the mother feel all excited and delightful. You cherish every moment, waiting for the day you will be able to hold your baby’s little hands with yours, and caress his face. But, with a baby growing inside your womb, there are some physical and mental issues the mother-to-be might have to face. Amongst the most common ones are chronic back spasms during pregnancy. Sometimes, it vanishes on its own while the other times call for great care and supervision. Therefore, it is important for expecting mothers to know the causes of their intense back pains.

What Causes Back Spasms?

Pregnant women often complain about intense back spasms which might be caused due to various reasons. The most obvious reason includes weight gain. During pregnancy, women gain a significant amount of weight mostly in their abdominal region. This leads to a shift in her body’s center of gravity and instigates the posture adjustment. Such spasms are normal in occurrence but sometimes they also occur as a symptom to some other medical issue like emotional stress and muscle strain. There is a possibility that the back pain is a result of uterine contractions which in turn signify premature labor. The back spasms are often confused with Sciatica as well. Sciatica is the pain caused due to the Sciatic nerve, which joins the leg to the lower back area, traveling through the hips. Therefore, you should consult a good gynecologist near you in case of chronic pain occurring in the area around your back and down to your legs.

What are the Treatments For Back Spasms?

Unlike other severe medical conditions which cause backaches, the spasms occurring due to pregnancy tend to reduce as the delivery date approaches. But, are there ways to reduce it? The answer is yes, there is. Here are a few ways to do it

1. Ice or Heat Packs

Women suffering from back spasms which occur in a shorter span of time can try using heat packs or cold ice packs. This is an easy technique which offers almost immediate relief. You can do this several times a day, but remember to be careful and not put these packs in the abdomen region.

2. Straighten up Your Body Posture

Slouching for long intervals of time and the weight gain on top of it degrades your body’s posture. You should keep an eye on your posture while sitting, working or even sleeping. For example, to take the stress away from your lower back region, sleeping on your side while placing a pillow between the knees can be really helpful.

There are special pregnancy support belts available in the market for keeping the expecting mothers’ body posture correct.

3. Exercising and Stretching

Regular exercising helps in boosting your body’s flexibility and strengthening the muscles. During pregnancy, ladies should be doing light exercises regularly, after proper consultation with the doctor. Some exercises like walking, stationary cycling, and light swimming are considered safe.

Stretching should be a part of your daily routine. It helps in activating your muscles and relieving pain due to numb tissues.

4. Acupuncture

Acupuncture consists of a form of Chinese medication, where thin needles are used for insertion in your skin at specific focus points. It is believed that certain focus points of your body have nerve endings, which when touched; helps in relieving pain affecting different body parts. Acupuncture is supported by a lot of studies, for delivering a significant amount of relief in cases of lower back pain occurring during pregnancy. This treatment should only be done by professionals.

5. TENS

Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) is a physical therapy being carried out for decades to relieve various kinds of pains and spasms. Pregnant women are recommended to go for the noninvasive procedures to manage spasms. TENS is observed as being an inexpensive and safe method to combat back spasms especially during late pregnancy.

6. Lifestyle Changes

There are some points which come into the region of a strict no-no. Wearing high heels or support hose, sleeping on your back, or bending to pick up things should strictly be avoided. Furthermore, in case the back pain is chronic, persistent and excruciating, you should definitely talk to your gynecologist.

For best gynecologist in Lucknow, visit Nova Hospital. The gynecology and obstetrics department at Nova Hospital have the very best gynecologist near you that can guide you to all the stages of your pregnancy and Obstetrician near you to expertly handle the childbirth. Nova Hospital also has a pediatric department, well equipped with NICU to take care of any complications that might affect your newborn child.