Lower back pain and pelvic girdle pain commonly affect women in the postpartum period. Studies show that as many as one in five females will experience back pain within three years of delivering their baby. When searching for back pain relief, it may be difficult for these new mothers to find a practical solution. This article will discuss, postpartum lower back discomfort and a commonsense approach to obtain lower back pain relief through chiropractic care.
Recently, a patient, Julie, came to me with complaints of lower back pain. Julie had two children: a 3-year-old and a 1-year-old. She’d had no problems during her pregnancy with the first child. A natural childbirth was normal and uneventful. However, as the child got older, she began to have back pain when picking up and carrying the baby. Her second pregnancy was more complicated as the baby was in a breach position, and she experienced significant lower back pain as a result. She was able to have a natural delivery, but it was long and painful. As she carried, lifted, and cared for both children, her lower back pain was magnified and became a constant condition and caused her to struggle through her day.
She saw her physician’s assistant and tried several courses of anti-inflammatories and muscle relaxers, but her pain relief was only temporary. Next, she tried a few weeks of physical therapy, but balancing on exercise balls, planks and abdominal core strengthening exercises only worsened her back pain so she stopped going.
Julie did some online research and found that chiropractic care is a natural, practical approach to helping females who are experiencing low back pain. She came to my office to be checked, and we found she had lower back spinal and pelvic joint misalignments that had started with her pregnancies and were worsened by the physical activity of caring for her children.
When the bones of the pelvis are misaligned, it creates spasms of the muscles of the pelvic floor and pelvic girdle. Strains of the fascia also occur. These abnormalities of soft tissues can be very painful.
Julie’s care consisted of safe, gentle chiropractic adjustments to realign her spine and pelvis. This brought about a great deal of lower back pain relief. She was also shown how the proper use of cold packs at home to reduce inflammation. In addition, she was given 5 to 10 minutes of exercises to perform in the morning to get her back warmed up for a long day of caring for her children. After several weeks of care, Julie’s back pain was eliminated, and she returned to a normal, albeit very busy life.
Dr James Schofield is a certified Webster Technique chiropractor near me. Visit here for pregnancy back pain relief.
Dr. James Schofield 