Back Pain at Night During Pregnancy
Many women suffer with pregnancy back pain at night. This type of night back pain in pregnancy is called nocturnal back pain. You may have it on its own, or concurrently with low back or sacroiliac pain.
There are a couple of different theories as to why night back pain develops during pregnancy. One theory is that it is caused by muscle fatigue from being active all day. By the end of the day, your body becomes more fatigued, and thus you feel more discomfort toward the evening hours.
The second theory is that nocturnal back pain is due to water retention. This can lead to edema and an increased volume of blood. This additional water in the body can place pressure on the spinal nerves and muscles, resulting in backaches.
Some women have very severe back pain while sleeping during their pregnancy. The most important thing you can do is to avoid sleeping on your back during pregnancy. Lying on your back, or in the supine position, compresses major arteries and veins, namely the inferior vena cava and the aorta. This decreases circulation and allows fluid pressure to build up in the pelvis, which places pressure on the spinal nerves.
As your fetus grows, it also puts more and more pressure on your arteries and veins. The farther along you are in your pregnancy, the more important it is to avoid sleeping on your back. The healthiest sleeping position for you and your baby is on your sides. Resting on your left side will place the least amount of pressure on your spine.
In addition to side sleeping, supporting the uterus can help alleviate night back pain. To properly support your uterus, lay on your side with pillows under your abdomen and between your legs. This will help to support your uterus and keep your spine in a neutral position. There are several wonderful pregnancy pillows that can help to make sleeping much more comfortable.
It is also important to make special efforts during the day to adjust your posture in ways that will help prevent muscle fatigue. Be sure to take frequent breaks from standing or sitting. If you must sit or stand for long periods of time, elevate one foot on a low stool or foot rest. Also, wear good, supportive shoes, and avoid wearing high heeled shoes, which place extra strain on the back.
It is also possible to manage pregnancy back pain at night by maintaining a regular exercise program. Regular exercise will help strengthen and support the spine, therefore helping to minimize strain and muscle fatigue. Exercise and postural adjustments will help to minimize night time back pain, but may not completely prevent it.
Many women find pain relief in alternative approaches such as acupuncture and massage therapy, though this relief may be only temporary. There are a variety of gentle hands on techniques that can be performed at home, which are also beneficial for relieving pregnancy related back pain.
Unfortunately, anti-inflammatory medications such as motrin, advil, and aspirin are contraindicated during pregnancy. The only pain reliever considered safe during pregnancy is acetaminophen.
Soaking in a hot tub or whirlpool is not recommended during pregnancy. You may however find a warm, not hot, bath can soothe your sore back. Try adding Epsom salt to a warm bath to help relieve pain.
We hope this information was helpful please visit our sister sites:
PregnancyPainRelief.com
PregnancyMomAndBaby.com
Thank you
Feel free to email us at Keith@PregnancyPainRelief.com
Pregnancy Pain Relief Home Page
Two Authors
Orit Cox MT, HHP, ABT and Keith Cox MT, HHP, ABT
About:
Orit Cox MT, HHP, ABT
Orit Cox is a Holistic Health Practitioner in San Diego, CA.
She began her work as a health practitioner in an effort to heal herself from pain, paralysis and neurological dysfunction which was the result of a car accident.
Desperate to improve her situation, she immersed herself in the study of health and alternative medicine.
Orit's studies included the areas of meditation, herbal medicine, nutrition, massage, acupressure, acupuncture, ayurveda, craniosacral therapy, and energy medicine, encompassing a multitude of both eastern and western approaches to health and well being.
As a result of her efforts, Orit did indeed put herself on the path to health, recovering from paralysis and physical dysfunctions.
After her own recovery, Orit opened a holistic health practice in San Diego, CA, caring for many clients. Now a mother, Orit has since scaled down her clientel in order to focus on her family life.
Desiring to continue to help make a difference in the lives of many, Orit has turned her efforts toward the production of books and web pages in order to share the benefit of her vast experience.
Orit Cox MT, HHP, ABT
Massage Theapist
Holistic Health Practioner
Asian Body Therapist,......
Please visit our site:
PregnancyMomAndBaby.com
Thank you
Feel free to email us at Keith@PregnancyPainRelief.com
About:
Keith Cox MT, HHP,ABT
I got started on the path toward pregnancy pain relief when I was in high school, in a seemingly unrelated chain of events.
I was on the high school gymnastics team. During practice I fell off the horizontal bar, broke my neck and was paralyzed from the chest down. The doctor told my parents I would never walk again.
I was in the hospital bed for about two weeks when the doctor sent a massage therapist to work with me at the hospital. She taught me to focus on my body. She asked me to try to move my toes. I couldn’t feel or move my toes.
Then one day, something unexpected happened while she was working with me. A fine sensation of warmth as small as a thread moved down my spine and out my thighs. That was the day I first moved my big toes.
I still could not feel my feet. It was not until I had been wiggling my toes for three days that I was told I was moving them.
Little by little I regained my ability to walk again, but pain remained with me. This drove me on a search for relief. I wanted pain relief without having to take pain relievers.
I went to massage and osteopathic schools and seminars across the country trying to find help. I tried to make sense of the techniques. They were so subtle I wasn’t always sure I knew what I was supposed to experience.
I spent 25 years taking classes and learning a variety of specialty hands on techniques for relieving pain. Some of the techniques presented in this book are adaptations of those I learned in classes.
The majority of them, however, were developed by just listening to my clients and reacting to their complaints. Over time, this developed into a tried and true treatment, successful in alleviating women’s pain where nothing else did.
For many years my clients and other therapists have been begging me to write a book about my pregnancy pain relief techniques.
I have had many midwives send me pregnant women in pain. These women gladly paid me $80-120 for a one hour treatment. Why?
Because it works!
Now this coveted information belongs to you. This book contains lots of valuable information that has never been shared before.
The techniques in this book are simple and easy to apply. Used regularly, they can help you pass through many of the discomforts that commonly occur during pregnancy.
Pregnancy is a beautiful and exciting time. I look forward to helping you make the journey of pregnancy a healthy and joyful one.
Keith Cox, MT, HHP, ABT.....
Massage Therapist
Holistic Health Practioner
Asian Body Therapist.....