{"id":6626,"date":"2023-08-18T00:44:33","date_gmt":"2023-08-17T17:44:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=6626"},"modified":"2023-08-18T00:44:33","modified_gmt":"2023-08-17T17:44:33","slug":"exercises-for-back-pain-in-pregnancy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=6626","title":{"rendered":"Exercises for Back Pain in Pregnancy"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p> <span class=\"drop-cap__first text-dropcap \">F<\/span>rom headaches to swollen feet and everything in between, pregnancy aches and pains can be a full-body affair. And the back can become ground zero: As your belly grows, that extra weight in the front of your body makes it harder for your spine\u2014the body&#8217;s main support system\u2014to keep you upright. Which is why many parents-to-be start practicing exercises for back pain in pregnancy.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen you have a huge load in front of you, your back is having to work much, much more,\u201d says <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vijayyanamadalamd.com\/staff\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.vijayyanamadalamd.com\/staff\/\">Vijay Yanamadala, MD,<\/a>\u00a0a spinal neurosurgeon and chief medical officer at\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/swordhealth.com\/newsroom\/sword-health-appoints-dr-vijay-yanamadala-as-chief-medical-officer\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/swordhealth.com\/newsroom\/sword-health-appoints-dr-vijay-yanamadala-as-chief-medical-officer\">Sword Health<\/a>. \u201cThat fulcrum effect of our body wanting to lean forward because of the pregnancy and the weight in front of us, and the back having to support it and hold us upright is real.\u201d That extra work can lead to low back pain as the spinal joints come under pressure and the muscles supporting the spine start to fatigue.<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<hr\/>\n<p>Dr. Yanamadala explains that the position of that extra load matters: \u201cIf I carried a 20-pound baby plus 20 pounds of water on my head, it would be much less work than carrying it in front of you in a growing belly,\u201d he says. That&#8217;s because you&#8217;d have the whole spine to disperse the extra load\u2014your back wouldn&#8217;t have to do anything additional other than maintain its posture. But when your belly pulls your weight forward, the spine is constantly working to try to realign itself and keep your torso in a vertical position.<\/p>\n<p>You\u2019d think evolution would have come up with a better place to put a growing baby if it would be so much work on our lower backs, right? Unfortunately, the bump is what we\u2019ve got, and back pain is the lot of many a pregnant person.<\/p>\n<div class=\"related-content \" style=\"\" data-module-init=\"related-content\" data-module-immediate=\"\" v-cloak=\"\">\n<div class=\"related-content__wrapper \" v-cloak=\"\" :class=\"{'is-loaded':isLoaded}\">\n<p> <span class=\"inline pr-6 text-seafoam-dark\">Related Stories<\/span> <\/p>\n<p> <related-content class=\"related-content__links\" parent-article-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/exercises-for-back-pain-in-pregnancy\/\" current-title=\"Here\u2019s Why Your Back Might Hurt During Pregnancy, and What To Do About It\" current-image=\"exercises-for-back-pain-in-pregnancy-425x285.jpg\" v-on:parsely-posts-loaded=\"onPostsLoaded\" start-date=\"2023-02-17\" tag=\"div\" inline-template=\"\" url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/exercises-for-back-pain-in-pregnancy\/\" secret=\"w5ztterVB03LGZJLfXS0hf3EvQBuFFIWew9hmVQxthU\" apikey=\"wellandgood.com\" limit=\"3\"> <\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"related-content__card mb-[10px] sm:mb-[20px]\" :class=\"{'related-content__card--full':posts.length === 1}\" v-for=\"(post, key) in posts\"> <a v-on:click.prevent=\"trackLinkGA($event, key)\" :href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/exercises-for-back-pain-in-pregnancy\/post.url\" data-url-source=\"related-content\" class=\"related-content__link\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"\"> <\/p>\n<div class=\"related-content__card--image bg-tan\" :style=\"{ backgroundImage: 'url(' + post.image_url + ')' }\"> <img :src=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/exercises-for-back-pain-in-pregnancy\/post.image_url\" :alt=\"post.title\"\/> <\/div>\n<p> <\/a>  <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> <\/related-content> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>There are two main ways to combat or prevent low back pain in pregnancy. The first is posture. Prenatal certified trainer <a href=\"https:\/\/azulcorawellness.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/azulcorawellness.com\/\">Azul Corajoria<\/a> says checking in with your posture more often than you normally would is key. You\u2019ll want to keep a soft bend in your knees, your pelvis tucked slightly more than neutral (to counter the belly\u2019s pull to sway your back forward), with your core engaged and shoulders pulled back and down.<\/p>\n<p>But maintaining good posture is easier said than done, and requires actually having the muscles to sustain that position, as well as mobility and flexibility, in a pregnant body undergoing myriad fluctuations.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo much is going on [in pregnancy] from changes in muscle tension, decreased joint mobility, or lack of strength in crucial muscles,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/lindsarnold\/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/lindsarnold\/?hl=en\">Lindsay Arnold<\/a>, a professional dancer, prenatal certified personal trainer, and founder of The Movement Club, previously told Well+Good about how to combat low back pain during pregnancy. \u201cIt is important to work on strengthening the supporting muscles as well as stretching to improve joint mobility and release muscle tension.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That includes your upper back as well as lower back muscles that are a part of your core and provide crucial support for the spine. Dr. Yanamadala recommends doing core strengthening exercises with the help of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/bosu-ball-workout\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/bosu-ball-workout\/\">Bosu ball<\/a>, since the ball can give some extra support and pain relief to an already-taxed spine. Arnold recommends exercises that combine core work with spine mobilization. Here are some of her favorites.<\/p>\n<h2>6 exercises for back pain in pregnancy<\/h2>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1. Bird dog<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201c<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/how-to-do-bird-dog\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/how-to-do-bird-dog\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This move<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> targets the posterior-chain muscles and improves core stability by utilizing the abdominal and low-back muscles,\u201d Arnold explains.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><b>Start on all fours. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Make sure that your wrists are directly aligned beneath your shoulders and that your knees are beneath your hips.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Lift the opposing arm and leg.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u201cSlowly lift and reach your right arm forward while you simultaneously lift and reach your left leg back straight behind you,\u201d Arnold says. Make sure not to rotate your torso or arch your back.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Return to all fours.<\/b><\/li>\n<li><b>Repeat. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Alternate slowly between each side, performing 10 reps per side.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<div class=\"iframe-container\">\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"How to do a Bird Dog with Laurence Agenor | The Right Way | Well+Good\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ezAz5PECMnE?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2. Pelvic tilts<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThis movement alleviates low-back pain through isometric holds that strengthen and support the core stabilizing muscles,\u201d Arnold explains.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><b>Lay on your back. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bend your knees and place your feet flat on the floor with your knees roughly hip-distance apart.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Tilt your hips.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Focusing on pressing your lower back into the ground and engaging your abs, tuck and tilt your hips up to the ceiling, while maintaining contact with the floor. (Note: This is <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">not<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> a glute bridge; you should not lift your bum off the floor.) Hold the tilt for three seconds, breathing as you do.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Return to neutral.\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<li><b>Repeat 10 times.\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">3. Side-lying leg lifts<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to Arnold, side-lying leg lifts activate the glutes, core, hip flexors, hamstrings, and lower back muscles. She says the old-school movement improves mobility in your hips and increases your core strength. \u201cThey help prepare your body for labor,\u201d she says.<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Lay on your side. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Stack your legs on top of each other, with your arm closest to the mat extended straight above you so that you can comfortably lay your head on it.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Lift your top leg<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> up to a 45-degree angle on an inhale, hold for a second, and release back down. Keep your torso as still as possible, with your hips stacked directly on top of each other.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Repeat.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Perform three rounds of 10 reps per side.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<div class=\"iframe-container\">\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Side-Lying Leg Lift - Glute Strengthening Exercises for Runners\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/jgh6sGwtTwk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">4. Seated piriformis stretch<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Arnold says that stretching is just as (if not more) important as performing strengthening exercises while pregnant. She recommends the seated piriformis stretch, which targets a key hip muscle that can make a major impact on how tight the low back feels.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Sit on a chair<\/strong> with feet flat on the ground.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Place your right ankle over your left knee<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to create a figure four.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Bend forward. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Exhale and slowly lean your torso forward, keeping your spine straight, until you feel a slight stretch in your glutes and low back. \u201cDo not round shoulders,\u201d she emphasizes. Hold for 30 seconds.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Repeat on the other side.\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<div class=\"iframe-container\">\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Seated Figure Four Stretch for Piriformis\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/2E8WWX4cOc4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">5. Child&#8217;s pose<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of yoga\u2019s <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/childs-pose-modification\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/childs-pose-modification\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">most recognizable poses<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> proves beneficial for low back pain.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Begin on all fours.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Let your big toes touch while keeping your knees shoulder-width apart.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Shift your butt back toward your heels<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> on an exhale while tucking your chin to your chest. If you feel flexible enough to do so, rest your forehead on the ground.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Rest for six breaths. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Slowly inhale and exhale before returning to neutral.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<div class=\"iframe-container\">\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Child&#039;s Pose: How To Do it Correctly &amp; Relieve Stress With Lena Dunham | Well+Good\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/dSPE4HTRPv4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">6. Cat stretch<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Surely you\u2019ve heard of the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/how-to-do-cat-cow\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/how-to-do-cat-cow\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">cat-cow stretch<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> by now. When focusing on your low back, Arnold says to prioritize the convex cat stretch.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Begin on all fours.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Again, keep your shoulders stacked over your wrists and knees directly under your hips, all while maintaining a neutral spine.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Inhale,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> then while exhaling, slowly pull your stomach up and round your spine to curve your back like a cat.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Hold the shape<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for three seconds before inhaling and releasing back to neutral.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Repeat.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Perform eight to 10 reps.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<div class=\"iframe-container\">\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"How to do a Cat-Cow | The Right Way | Well+Good\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/y_cKHKi9UaM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For other workouts that can help to mitigate back pain, Arnold recommends these four The Movement Club classes:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async defer src=\"https:\/\/platform.instagram.com\/en_US\/embeds.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1675549\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>From headaches to swollen feet and everything in between, pregnancy aches and pains can be a full-body affair. And the back can become ground zero: As your belly grows, that extra weight in the front of your body makes it harder for your spine\u2014the body&#8217;s main support system\u2014to keep you upright. Which is why many &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":6632,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6626","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6626","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6626"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6626\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6632"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6626"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6626"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6626"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}