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Health

Exercises for pregnant and postpartum women for back pain

, medical expert
Last reviewed: 07.06.2024
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Many women who have experienced the joy of motherhood know that pregnancy can be marred by constant back pain. The closer you get to delivery, the worse the pain becomes. This is an unpleasant, but quite natural condition, which is explained by the fact that the baby puts pressure on the lumbar region, and also clamps the sciatic nerve. Therefore, pain can occur in the back area, and even give into the buttocks and thighs. To get rid of back pain, special exercises for pregnant women will help.

It has long been no secret that there is yoga for pregnant women. Its effectiveness has been tested by many women from different parts of our planet. There are whole complexes of exercises that need to be performed regularly. There are also separate exercises that can be performed quickly, at the moment of an acute attack of pain. Numerous manuals on yoga for pregnant women, video recordings of classes, describe in detail the complexes and exercises used. We will not consider in detail the course of their performance. We will only give a list of exercises recommended for pregnant women. It is recommended to read their detailed description and the order of their performance not on general sites, but on the sites of regional or international yoga associations, where reliable, verified information is accumulated. All Yoga Associations and Federations are responsible for the quality and effectiveness, and most importantly - safety of the information offered. Whereas in an ordinary search engine there may be erroneous, unreliable information posted by non-professionals or charlatans. Such exercises will not only not be useful, but will also harm. It is recommended to visit the official site of All-Ukrainian Yoga Federation, Russian Yoga Federation, International Association (Federation) of Yoga, and other official sites. The system of yoga exercises developed by A. Sidersky, A. Lapp, and A. Lapp has proved itself quite well. Sidersky, A. Lappa, A. Lobanov, and other yoga masters.

The list of back pain exercises for pregnant women is given below.

  1. Joint exercises (lying down, sitting). They include mandatory work of the cervical spine, thoracic, lumbar and sacral spine, as well as all peripheral joints: arms, legs.
  2. Crocodile Gymnastics. Relaxes the lower back, spine, relaxes tense areas.
  3. Stretching the muscles of the hip, pelvic area. These exercises not only relax the lower back, pelvic area, relieve pain, but also prepare the muscles for the upcoming labor.

This is a preparatory block that prepares the body for the main workout. After them, it is recommended to perform a number of asanas for pregnant women:

  • Vajrasana is the pose of diamond hardness
  • Cat pose
  • Ushtrasana is camel pose.
  • Sethubandhasana - bridge pose
  • Buddha Konasana
  • Supta Baddha Konasana
  • Upavista Konasana
  • Virasana is the pose of the Hero.
  • Supta Virasana
  • Tadasana - mountain pose
  • Vrikasana - tree pose
  • Trikonasana is triangle pose.
  • Virabhadrasana
  • Virabhadrasana - Hero 2 pose.
  • Prasarita Padottanasana
  • Kagasana - Crow pose
  • Viparita karani mudra - shoulder blade stand

A prerequisite for back pain relief in pregnancy is the use of relaxation exercises. The following relaxation practices are recommended:

  • breathing relaxation
  • visualization
  • concentration of attention
  • smooth motion technique
  • Shavasana is total relaxation, or "dead man's pose."

It is also mandatory to include a system of breathing exercises in the practice.

Exercises for back pain after childbirth

Women who have back pain after childbirth are not recommended to perform serious physical activity, because for 2-3 months the body needs a period of relative rest for full recovery.

During this period it is recommended to perform breathing exercises and meditative practices. They help to relax, relieve tension, enhance regeneration, accelerate recovery processes, normalize metabolic processes in the body, hormonal background, improve mood, well-being, increase overall endurance and resistance of the body.

It is meditation and breathing that will help the body to return to its former state, as they act subtly, gently, smoothly restoring homeostasis (unity and constancy of the internal environment of the body). The state of the main structural and functional systems is normalized.

The most complete block of breathing exercises is presented in the yoga section "Pranayama". Meditation is presented in the sections Pratyahara, Dharana, and others. There is no need to consider in detail the course and sequence of exercises, as they are described in detail in yoga textbooks, on websites. To find reliable information, and to be sure of the correctness of the exercises and their safety, it is recommended to visit the official sites of the Yoga Federation (international or regional).

Let's look at a list of basic breathing practices:

  • Full yogic breathing (it is important to learn abdominal, diaphragmatic and clavicular breathing separately)
  • canine
  • mixed breathing
  • cleansing breath
  • Tree pranayama
  • "Flywheel" pranayama
  • "The Mill" pranayama
  • "Fists" pranayama
  • "Clear Voice" pranayama
  • "Harmoshka" pranayama
  • "Lung Awakening" pranayama
  • "Floor push-up" pranayama
  • Pranayama "Wall Push-Up"
  • Pranayama "Immunity-1,2"
  • Pranayama "Lifting the barbell."
  • psychic "Ha-breathing"
  • rhythmic breathing

The most suitable meditations are relaxation in the Shavasana posture, contemplation, Trataka, concentration of attention on a certain object. You can also use special movement complexes.

As you can see, there can be many reasons for the development of back pain. There are also many reasons why pain can develop: hypothermia, prolonged stay in one position, hypodynamia, incorrect position of the spine, trauma. Pain is often caused by improper loading of the spine, such as lifting weights, exercising. Back pain almost always occurs during pregnancy.

But it is also possible that the cause lies not in the back itself, but in other adjacent organs: kidneys, liver, spleen, lungs, and even in the pleura. In these areas may be an inflammatory process, and the pain in this case irradiates along the nerve fiber, and is perceived as pain in the back.

There are special exercises for back pain that have proven themselves quite well. But before you start using them, you should consult your doctor.

Many patients complain of back pain. In general, the musculoskeletal system is one of the main systems that maintains a certain position of the body and also performs a number of other functions. It takes the main load. In addition, it provides protection for internal organs, acts as a lever, shock absorber, softening shocks, pressure, concussion. The most sensitive part of the ODA is the back, since it is it that bears the main axial load. The search for remedies for various back diseases has not stopped for years. Despite the numerous successes of medicine and pharmaceutics, no one can deny the fact that physical exercises for back pain are the most effective and efficient therapeutic means.

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