Low Back Pain Relief for Moms
It’s not uncommon for moms to experience low back pain—whether they are postpartum, are breastfeeding, or have older children.
Pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding, and child care can take their toll on a mom’s body and spine, creating long-term discomfort in various areas, but especially in the lower back.
We see many moms who have had back pain for a long time, but they don’t come to see us for chiropractic care until their pain escalates to an unbearable level.
The sooner a mom gets help for back pain, even when it’s minor, the better. Unfortunately, in most cases, the pain won’t go away on its own. It will likely get worse and take more rehab in the long run. Below we have some tips on how moms can ease back pain at home and how to get help.
Why Moms Experience Back Pain
This may seem like a no-brainer, but taking care of babies and kids is physically demanding!
Moms hunch over while nursing (and sit for long periods), carry around their children, pick up their children, and haul around heavy child car seats. That makes it incredibly difficult to avoid putting a strain on the back, neck, and body.
On top of the day-to-day routines that can create back pain, there also can be some underlying issues from pregnancy and childbirth that cause chronic patterns and eventually pain.
Pregnancy & Breastfeeding Hormones
If you gave birth, your body shifted and changed tremendously as your baby grew and prepared for birth. Both in pregnancy and postpartum, your body releases the hormone relaxin, which causes the ligaments and muscles in your pelvic region to relax.
Those hormones stick around and continue to make your body looser for 6 weeks after birth. If you breastfeed, your body continues to produce relaxin and additional progesterone, keeping your ligaments softer and your body laxer until about 6 weeks after you stop breastfeeding.
During this time, your spine and pelvis can shift and create a lot of discomfort. It’s important to get postpartum chiropractic care when your body is still healing/changing to keep your body in alignment and to prevent long-term issues.
Childbirth Effects & Trauma
It’s no secret childbirth can be hard on a mom’s body. Whether you had an uncomplicated birth or a difficult one, your pelvis, hips, and lower back are likely in need of some rehab.
Women sometimes experience perineal tearing, episiotomies, a long pushing period, long labor, pushing and then moving to a C-section, or a Belly Birth. These variants of birth change the tone and symmetry in your body, often leading to a slower recovery and therefore more aches and pains.
These are musculature in nature and therefore often require rehab through BOTH chiropractic or physical therapy to heal the soft and bony tissue and to restore normal biomechanics and function.
Chiropractic Care & Physical Therapy for Moms
Chiropractic care can help to relieve back pain and help moms recover. We get to the root cause of the issue and help your body heal by combining manual adjustments in our office with at-home lifestyle changes and exercises.
Often the pelvis, lower back, or body as a whole can be rotated or asymmetrical from pregnancy and labor (adjustments during pregnancy help reduce this!) However, if there is rotation, it can lead to tension, inflammation, and eventually pain or injury. Injuries usually present like low back pain, spasms, the ‘back going out’, sciatica, hip pain or butt pain, pain with a return to exercise, and more.
As chiropractors, we evaluate the hips, legs, lower back, and more to find these rotational patterns. We address the bony-structure tension and muscle changes around the area and how they pertain to your daily life and/or your pregnancy, birth, or labor, and we fix these restrictions with gentle adjustments.
In some cases, we also refer our patients to a pelvic floor physical therapist. In those cases, there’s often an imbalance or problem with the soft tissues in the pelvic floor. We often see this with moms who never had any kind of rehab after birth and suffered through several years of back pain before seeking help.
For those patients, only getting chiropractic care or only getting physical therapy may not be enough to eliminate the back pain. Instead, we recommend getting chiropractic care to address the structural misalignments in the spine and pelvis while also getting soft tissue done with a pelvic floor physical therapist.
Exercises that Relieve Back Pain
If you have back pain, we recommend doing these stretches and exercises to help provide some relief and to strengthen your core muscles to help stabilize your back.
(The list provided here is a starting point and each individual should be evaluated for more specific help.)
Cat/Cow Pose Stretch
Get on your hands and knees. Make sure your hands are shoulder-width apart and your knees are below your hips.
COW: As you inhale, curve your lower back downward, tilt your pelvis up, and tilt your face upward.
CAT: Now exhale, bring your abdomen in, arch your spine, bring your pelvis down, and bring your head down.
Repeat several times.
Child’s Pose Stretch
Start by kneeling on the ground and then sitting on your knees.
Lean forward while stretching your arms forward on the floor until you rest your forehead on the floor. Make sure you keep your buttocks on your heels.
Hold this pose for a minute or two. You can repeat.
Bird Dog Exercise
Get on your hands and knees. Make sure your hands are shoulder-width apart and your knees are below your hips.
Draw your shoulder blades together.
Raise your RIGHT arm and your LEFT leg. Be sure to keep your shoulders and hips parallel to the floor. Your RIGHT arm and LEFT leg should also be parallel to the floor and not bent.
Lengthen the back of your neck and tuck your chin into your chest.
Hold this position for a few seconds and then lower back down to the starting position.
Repeat by switching to raising the LEFT arm and the RIGHT leg.
Do 10-15 reps each.
Daily Routine Changes for Moms
You also can make some changes to your daily routine to help protect your back and prevent pain. Here are some suggestions:
Lifting and Bending: When picking up your child, keep your spine straight, engage your abs and pelvic floor, and bend your knees. If your child is on the ground, instead of bending over to pick them up, squat down and use your leg power to stand up instead of your back. Or if you child is old enough, ask your child to step up onto a chair or stool.
Sitting for Nursing or Nap Time: Sitting for long periods while your baby naps or for nursing sessions can cause back or neck pain. While sitting, check your posture, opt for chairs with back support, and use pillows to bring your baby to your breast. Try to avoid sitting for prolonged periods. If you have the option to nurse while lying down on your side, that can provide some relief as well. (Using a heating pad after a nursing session is also a favorite for relieving low and middle back tension/pain!)
Diaper Bags: Avoid bags with only one strap that can put all the weight on one shoulder. Instead, go for backpack-style bags that evenly distribute the weight.
Car seats: Car seats are heavy and put a lot of strain on the back. Instead of hauling around the car seat, wear your baby in a two-shoulder baby carrier like an Ergo or only take the car seat with you if you can use a stroller. Instead of standing outside your car and leaning over to secure your child, try sitting in the seat next to your baby as you strap them in for less strain on your back.
Footwear: We don’t know a lot of moms who wear heels while caring for their kids. But, we can’t go without mentioning you should skip the heels and wear comfortable and supportive shoes!
Take a Break: When possible, ask your partner, friend, or family member to hold your baby or young child or to wear them in a carrier to give your back a break!
Book an Appointment
We know it’s hard for moms to put themselves first when they have little ones at home. However, you’ll feel better and be able to take on the physical challenge of parenthood if you’re taken care of.
We are a baby- and kid-friendly office (with all the toys and breastfeeding space you need), so bring your little ones with you. Call us at 720-403-8255 or schedule an appointment online.