Why are hip pain, shoulder pain and low back pain so common in pregnancy and postpartum?
Hip pain and low back pain are quite common among individuals in the pregnancy and postnatal population. But why do these issues arise so frequently during this time? What steps can you take to alleviate these discomforts and support your body on its perinatal journey?
Firstly, it’s important to consider why you may be experiencing difficulties with hip pain during your pregnancy or throughout your postnatal journey - remember that once you are postnatal, you remain postnatal.
Pregnancy leads to significant changes in posture that can create additional pressure on the lower back, known as lordosis. The counter-effect of this is a rounding of the shoulders, referred to as kyphosis, which can result in increased pressure throughout the chest, neck, and shoulders.
Then you’re caring for a little person. You’re sleep-deprived. You’re in very rounded positions feeding your baby. You change your baby in strange places while you’re all twisted up. Ad you’re still trying to reconnect with your core that changed through pregnancy.
Understanding these interconnected changes can help you address and alleviate the discomfort you may be feeling.
TL/ DR: Basically, the small natural curves of your spine become big curves and the support structure struggles to deal with the change causing discomfort, and maybe pain.
So what can be done to help the discomfort?
As always it comes down to a combination of creating space while also building strength, you know you’ve me harp on about strength and space in class.
Finding space in the compressed areas of your spine, hips, and shoulders and free up the tight and overworked supporting soft tissue, for example:
Cat/ Cow
Pelvic tilts on the back or against the wall
Childs Pose with supports to reduce reflux or dizziness
Thread the needle
Single leg extensions on all fours or the back
Once the tight areas are freed up you are in a position to build more strength for example:
All fours fire hydrant
Low bridge pulses
Cactus arms with a shoulder blade squeeze
Superwoman/ Bird dog
Single leg lifts
As you regularly find space and consistently build strength you should feel a reduction in your discomfort.
Kirsti x