Pain in the back, lower back, sacrum and coccyx during pregnancy

Pain in the back, lower back, sacrum and coccyx in pregnant women: what can hurt

The ligamentous apparatus of the uterus is firmly attached to the bones of the pelvis and spinal column. As the size of the uterus increases, the load on the ligaments of the uterus and pelvic bones, on the spine, abdominal and lower back muscles increases - this is normal. If the load from the pregnant uterus is distributed evenly, there will be no significant pain.
If you have even a slight curvature of the spine, weakness of any muscle, or a difference in leg length, some ligaments of the uterus will experience increased stress. Hence the pain in the uterus, sacrum, and pain between the legs in pregnant women. Painful impulses will come from the places where the ligaments are attached to the bones, from the vertebrae and joints overloaded with the weight of the uterus.

Pain during pregnancy can appear in the lower back, sacrum, tailbone, perineum (between the legs), hip joints, abdomen and pelvic area. The cause of the pain is usually easy to determine with a full examination. This type of pain can be treated well without medication – with the help of soft osteopathy . First of all, safety. We use internationally recognized special techniques for working with pregnant women (including in the treatment of back pain in pregnant women).

What to do if your lower back hurts at 38 weeks of pregnancy?

At this stage, the weight of a healthy fetus is about three kilograms. The baby becomes less mobile, but this is explained by the fact that he no longer has enough space in his stomach. What to do if your lower back hurts at 38 weeks of pregnancy? The first thing a woman should do is try to rest as much as possible and keep her legs horizontal.

If your lower back starts to hurt a lot, therapeutic exercises can help. Special sets of exercises have been created for pregnant women, which the doctor will tell you about. If possible, you can sign up for gymnastics or yoga courses for pregnant women. In addition, if the fetus puts pressure on the lumbar spine, exercising on a fitball will help cope with the discomfort.

If a woman complains that her back hurts at 38 weeks of pregnancy, the obstetrician-gynecologist will advise her to wear a bandage that will help the lower back muscles withstand the increased load. It is recommended to wear the bandage while lying down, and you can only stand up when the accessory is tightly fastened.

If the expectant mother's lower back ache, this most likely indicates an imminent delivery.

But painful sensations can be interpreted in different ways. If thirty-eight weeks are characterized by nagging pain in the lower abdomen, then this may indicate problems with the kidneys. Therefore, you should definitely tell your gynecologist about the discomfort.

Discomfort in the lumbar spine is due to the enormous load, because at the end of the third trimester the expectant mother carries an additional ten to twelve kilograms. Moreover, the woman gained weight rapidly, but her back muscles did not have time to adapt to it. Due to excessive load, first of all, it can pull the lower back. The woman’s posture changes, and her gait turns into a “duck walk.”

If you have lower back pain at 38 weeks of pregnancy, water aerobics and pool exercises can help relieve pain. Water procedures will not only help relax the back muscles, but also naturally prepare the body for childbirth (the cervix will dilate less painfully).

At the end of the third trimester, a woman needs to carefully monitor all changes occurring in her body. It won’t hurt to review your “alarm suitcase”: are all things packed for the maternity hospital, and get ready for the next birth of your child.

Find the cause of pain without X-rays and MRI

As you know, during pregnancy, radiation diagnostic methods are undesirable. You can almost always do without pictures if the doctor knows how to compare the existing symptoms and has time for this. We study the tone of certain muscles, reflexes and sensitivity in the various peripheral nerve systems and this gives us enough information. Such an examination may take 30-40 minutes, but it is informative and 100% safe.

As a last resort, you can resort to examining peripheral nerves and the spinal cord using electromyography (during pregnancy, some electromyography methods are allowed).

Is a cold dangerous during pregnancy if you don’t see a doctor?

It is very important for all expectant mothers to avoid the most common mistakes and when treating, be sure to take into account the myths about ARVI, which are passed down from generation to generation and cause harm.

Myth 1. Vitamin C will cure colds.

It is not true. For a long time, ascorbic acid was considered almost a panacea for influenza and other colds. But now scientists have come to the conclusion that this vitamin does not prevent the development of ARVI and does not speed up treatment if the disease is already in full swing.

In some cases, ascorbic acid can reduce the manifestations of clinical signs of the disease. Also, in combination with proper nutrition, it increases endurance in healthy people. However, if a person still has a cold, vitamin C is powerless.

Myth 2. Antibiotics will help get rid of colds.

Antibacterial drugs are the greatest achievement of mankind, having saved millions of lives since their discovery. It would seem that if these medicines can help with very serious diseases, will they really not cope with a cold? No, they won't cope. For the reason that antibacterial drugs, as their name suggests, are designed to fight bacteria. Viruses differ in structure from bacteria, and therefore there is no point in taking antibiotics for ARVI and influenza. Antibacterial drugs are taken only in case of bacterial complications, for example, bacterial pneumonia.

You should not take antibiotics for prophylaxis, trying to prevent the development of complications. This will only weaken your body and harm your unborn child. And, of course, no medications should be taken during pregnancy without your doctor’s permission.

Myth 3. You can only catch a cold once per season.

This is not true. As already mentioned, viruses are constantly mutating. Therefore, you can get sick at the beginning of autumn, recover, then the body will develop immunity to this type of virus, and then get sick more than once in winter and spring. New strains constantly appear that the body is not yet familiar with. In order to protect yourself from infection, it is necessary to use antiviral drugs that fight all types of viruses.

Myth 4. Antibacterial soap will protect against colds.

It is not true. This soap, as its name suggests, can only fight bacteria. As already mentioned, viruses and bacteria have different structures, and therefore the methods of combating them are different. Of course, this does not replace the need to regularly wash your hands, both for pregnant women and for everyone else. Even if soap doesn't kill viruses, it can help wash them away. The effectiveness of this procedure increases significantly if you wash your hands with any soap for at least 30 seconds.

Myth 5. If you have a cold, you need bed rest.

Despite the fact that a cold can lead to the development of a number of complications, a pregnant woman should not give up walking and moderate physical activity without a doctor’s advice. Prolonged bed rest can lead to bronchitis or pneumonia, as well as disruption of the functioning of the cardiovascular system. If you feel well, move. And try to ventilate the room more often.

Eliminate pain in the back, lower back, coccyx, sacrum in pregnant women without drugs

The goal of treatment is to create a more optimal distribution of the load from the uterus to the ligaments, bones and muscles. What can be safely used during pregnancy:

1. Gentle correction of the spine and muscle tone with the help of a doctor’s hands. Usually the effect (a significant reduction or complete cessation of back pain in a pregnant woman) is noticeable already at the first session with an osteopathic neurologist. We perform sessions infrequently, usually once every 2-4 weeks (as the size of the uterus increases), 4-6 sessions per course of treatment are sufficient.
2. Gymnastics. This is a treatment that you can easily perform at home. It is better if the exercises are selected personally by the doctor. We try to build gymnastics so that it is safe, effective and takes as little time as possible. When done correctly, pain between the legs in pregnant women goes away within a week or two.

Osteopathic preparation for childbirth. During childbirth, the birth canal must be elastic enough so that the baby can safely pass through it without injury or rupture. Your osteopath will do everything possible to restore the physiological elasticity of the pelvic tissues.

Treatment of pain after childbirth - more details

Treatment of complications after epidural anesthesia - more details

Changes in the body of the expectant mother

During pregnancy at 38 weeks, the expectant mother faces hormonal changes in her body, preparing for the birth of the baby. Your weight should stabilize during this period. Some representatives of the fair sex complain of frequent urge to go to the toilet - this is how the body cleanses the intestines before childbirth, removing excess fluid from it.

A woman complains of lower back pain at 38 weeks of pregnancy, which is caused by movement of the pelvic bones, as well as softening of ligaments and cartilage. In addition, pain in the area of ​​the sacrum and lower back is caused by the pressure of the uterus.

At the end of the third trimester, the expectant mother's breasts become engorged, preparing for the upcoming lactation. This is the right time to purchase comfortable nursing underwear that supports but does not compress the mammary glands.

If this is not the expectant mother’s first birth, then most likely the baby will be born in the coming days. But if this is the first pregnancy, then the baby should appear by the end of the 40th week. In any case, from this time on, the pregnant woman should be ready for childbirth, which will begin soon.

At the thirty-eighth week, the placenta reaches its final degree of maturity and after 5-14 days its physiological aging begins.

What should you be wary of?

Starting from the third trimester, it is not for nothing that gynecologists prescribe general tests every 14 days. The last trimester for a pregnant woman is dangerous due to the possibility of complications. Their prerequisites include:

• poor nutrition,
• excess weight,
• kidney diseases.

Some women perceive kidney problems as harbingers of childbirth. Existing problems will be revealed by a urine test, on the basis of which the obstetrician-gynecologist will prescribe treatment for the patient.

If a woman experiences discomfort in which her lower back ache, she is recommended to take a warm, relaxing bath or go for a leisurely walk in the fresh air.

At the end of the last trimester, the expectant mother should be very careful. The reason why the lower back is strained at 38 weeks of pregnancy is the following: the baby has become heavy and the woman’s body cannot cope with such a heavy load. To reduce discomfort, it is recommended to get plenty of rest and minimize physical activity. It is also advisable to adjust your diet, eliminating overeating. But we must remember that the body must receive all the necessary vitamins and microelements.

To read: Why does my child have back pain?

How to relieve false contractions

You can try to reduce discomfort in several ways:

• drink clean water;
• take a more comfortable position;
• take a warm shower or ten-minute bath;
• take a walk in the fresh air;
• relax to the sounds of nature or meditative music;
• do breathing exercises.

False contractions before childbirth enable a woman to practice proper breathing during childbirth:

• frequent shallow breathing “like a dog” during a contraction to facilitate its passage. It is not recommended to breathe for more than 220 seconds to avoid dizziness from lack of oxygen;
• exhale slowly during the contraction and then take a deep breath of air, after the end of the contraction, repeat the deep exhalation and inhalation;
• slowly inhale through the nose and exhale sharply through the mouth.

You can practice other types of breathing that make contractions easier.

How to understand that false contractions have begun:

• there is a feeling of compression in the lower abdomen or groin and/or in the upper part of the uterus;
• the sensations extend only to some area of ​​the abdomen and do not radiate to the back or pelvis;
• irregular contractions - from a couple of times a day to several times an hour, but less than six times an hour;
• contractions may be painless, but discomfort is felt;
• contractions do not have a clear rhythm;
• The intensity of the contraction decreases quite quickly.