Back pain in pregnancy.

This disorder often affects the expectant mother, especially starting from the fourth month. The reasons are to be found in the hormonal changes typical of pregnancy and in weight gain. Compared to the man's body, that of the woman is predisposed to accept a pregnancy: the bones of the pelvis are wider, lighter and smoother just to allow the passage of the baby at the moment of delivery. The spine is the part that is most affected by the modifications of pregnancy, mainly due to the shift of the center of gravity forward that the future mother implements, as the belly grows, to keep herself better in balance.

During the nine months

Back pain or low back pain can occur at any time during the nine months, although they are more common from the second trimester onwards. The causes of these pains are mainly:
 The waiting hormones (progesterone and relaxin) which have a relaxing effect on muscles and ligaments in preparation for childbirth.
 The weight of the belly which, as it grows, forces the spine to a continuous effort and to assume a posture different from the normal one (ie arched forward). As a result, the muscles in the abdomen and back contract, causing stiffness or pain in the kidneys.

Recommended drugs.

• analgesics These drugs reduce pain and are usually the first medicine prescribed by the doctor (even during pregnancy);
• muscle relaxants that are designed to relax those muscles, whose excessive tension can give rise to back pain
• anti-inflammatories that relieve pain by acting on the inflammatory state. In the nine months they must be taken with caution.

Physiotherapeutic equipment is often used to treat back pain that act in various ways: they produce caloric energy, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields, electric currents or mechanical vibrations. In general, then, the doctor tends to combine these treatments with cycles of manual massages or natural methods.

The most used are:

• Physiotherapy,
• Electrotherapy
• Osteopathy

It is advisable to perform the correct movements.

To get out of bed, use the muscles of the legs and buttocks and help yourself with your elbows, without bending your back, first turning onto your side, and then sitting up with your back straight. For housework it is necessary to kneel rather than bend over. This trick is valid both for making the bed and for putting order in the drawers. However, excessive efforts should be avoided during pregnancy.