Strengthening your back during pregnancy. What to do if your lower back hurts during pregnancy? Basic breathing exercises for expectant mothers at any stage of pregnancy

There are many factors that provoke pain in the back and lumbar region in pregnant women.

Important! During the third trimester, progressive back pain can lead to premature birth or complications. Therefore, you should visit your personal doctor as soon as possible.

Contraindications for performing gymnastics

Despite the fact that sports are useful for pregnant women, there are some diseases and conditions of the expectant mother’s body in which she is prohibited from any exercise, even the most minimal.

Restrictions

If there are no contraindications to performing exercises to relieve back pain, then It should be clearly remembered that there are a number of restrictions for pregnant women. Neglect of recommendations and non-compliance with rules can have a detrimental effect on the health of the expectant mother and baby.

• All movements should be smooth, slow and careful.
• Under no circumstances should you use weight-bearing equipment – ​​leg pads, dumbbells.
• Exercises with jumping, somersaults and running are prohibited.
• You should not start exercising immediately after eating. Only after two hours have passed since the last meal.
• If you feel unwell, weak or have pain in the lower abdomen, you should not start exercising.

Attention! Every time a woman performs exercises, she should monitor her well-being, pulse and shortness of breath.

Before you start doing the exercises, you should be well prepared. To do this, you don’t need to do anything complicated or unusual.

1. It is necessary to select a set of exercises in advance - all of them should affect only the spinal muscle groups. It is not unimportant that they correspond to the duration of pregnancy and the physical fitness of the expectant mother.
2. The room must be ventilated - no suffocating air or foreign odors. Temperature – not lower than 18 °C and not higher than 23 °C.
3. Clothing for gymnastics should be convenient and comfortable and not necessarily sportswear. The main thing is that there is no restriction of movement.
4. Prepare all auxiliary accessories and attributes in advance.

A set of activities during pregnancy, depending on the stage

Playing sports for an expectant mother is beneficial. However, each trimester of pregnancy has its own characteristics, dangerous moments and nuances that should be remembered.

That's why all exercises for pregnant women are distributed by trimester. Some of them may be present throughout the entire gestation cycle, and some - only for a certain period.

In the early stages

In the first three months of pregnancy, the fetus is fixed in the uterus and its vital organs are formed. Physical activity is strictly prohibited, and almost no one has back pain during these weeks, so all exercises for pregnant women are aimed at strengthening muscles, breathing training and improving mood.

1. Cross step. Slow movements of the legs “cross to cross” can be performed in the room or on a walk (in the warm season). In this case, you can help yourself with your hands, slightly turning your torso with each step. The exercise can be performed for 3-4 minutes - 50 steps will be enough.
2. Torso bends. Starting position – standing, feet shoulder-width apart, arms spread to the sides, extended. Perform slow tilts of the body forward and backward (8-10 times in each direction), as well as to the right and left (8-10 times in each direction).
3. Torso rotation. Starting position: standing, feet shoulder-width apart, hands on hips. Rotate your torso so that your pelvis remains motionless. You can bend over slightly. The number of approaches is no more than 10.
4. Back arch. Starting position - on all fours. Raise and stretch your left leg back, raise your right arm, stretch it forward - bend your back slightly. Perform 10-12 approaches, alternating legs and arms.

For 2nd trimester

The second trimester is the most favorable time for gymnastics - there is practically no risk of miscarriage, there is no toxicosis, and the health of the expectant mother is excellent. The tummy slowly begins to round, so minor back pain may appear.

To perform some exercises you will need a fitball - a large elastic ball.

For 3rd trimester

In the last months of pregnancy, back pain becomes more frequent. Daily gymnastics will help relieve hypertonicity in tense muscles after long periods of sitting or walking.

1. Torso bends using a fitball. For severe pain, the number of repetitions can be increased up to 15 times. The main thing is not to overdo it.
2. Circular movements of the pelvis while sitting on a fitball. This exercise allows you to relax your back muscles, so at this time the number of repetitions can be increased to 15-20 times.
3. Kitty. There will be no discomfort when performing this exercise even if you have a large tummy. The optimal number of repetitions is 10-15 times.

The simplest exercise that women in the last months of pregnancy enjoy is simply lying on a fitball.

During pregnancy, a woman's body experiences certain stresses. It's especially hard on the back. To improve the situation a little, special exercises for pregnant women have been developed for the back. In this case, water aerobics and swimming, as well as various complexes that relieve stress and tension, help well.

Benefits of exercise for pregnant women

Everyone knows about the benefits of physical exercise. Scientists have long proven that moderate exercise during pregnancy has a good effect on well-being and mood. Therefore, there is no need to give up physical activity during pregnancy. They will not harm the baby, and the woman will feel much better in this case. Regular physical exercise alleviates toxicosis, normalizes weight, and prepares the body for childbirth. And special exercises for pregnant women for the back will help avoid pain and discomfort.

Pregnant women who do gymnastics also get in shape faster after giving birth. Women with a passive lifestyle during pregnancy often suffer from excess weight, hormonal fluctuations, and worsening mood. Also in this case, lumbar pain appears. Both regular regular exercise and special exercises for the back muscles for pregnant women will help you avoid them. They are quite simple, but a basic level of fitness should be taken into account.

Thus, the benefits of physical exercise for pregnant women are great, namely:

• after such exercises, the body is more toned, the skin is smooth, and the immune system is strengthened, the body’s resistance to stress increases, various diseases;
• accessible and effective exercises strengthen muscles, relieve tension in the back, unload the spine and lower back, form correct and beautiful posture;
• if you do exercises throughout pregnancy, then after childbirth it will be easier for a woman to regain her slim figure;
• we must not forget about the psychological and emotional health of a woman; It has been proven that physical activity produces adrenaline and happiness hormones in the blood, which prevent the occurrence of depression and bad mood - active mothers do not experience postpartum depression;
• In addition, regular exercise is a way to strengthen the cardiovascular system, it improves blood circulation, prevents edema and hemorrhoids, and normalizes the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract.

Contraindications for exercise during pregnancy

However, physical activity is not always beneficial. There are contraindications in which it is better for pregnant women to avoid exercise. Or you need to study under the supervision of specialists

You need to refrain from activities:

• in case of miscarriage and a high probability of spontaneous miscarriage;
• in the presence of toxicosis, gestosis;
• for various pathologies of pregnancy;
• during exacerbation chronic diseases or if there is an inflammatory process in the body;
• if you feel unwell, general weakness, high or low blood pressure;
• with anemia;
• when carrying twins or triplets.

The exercises themselves should be fun for pregnant women. The most important rule of all activities: stop them if pain, discomfort and unpleasant sensations appear in the body. Alarm signals may be the following:

• sharp pain in the lower abdomen, the appearance of discharge;
• weakness, dizziness;
• difficulty breathing, increased heart rate;
• strong activity or calming down of the child during exercise.

It’s no secret that not all exercises are suitable for pregnant women, and some of them are strictly prohibited:

• contact and team sports;
• rollerblades, skates (can lead to injury to the pregnant woman);
• abdominal exercises, simulators, as well as jumps and somersaults.

1. Before starting exercise, you should consult your doctor. He will select the most suitable exercises in accordance with the duration and course of pregnancy.
2. Before class, the room should be well ventilated. It is also useful to spend it in the fresh air.
3. You should not exercise immediately after eating; it is better to do it 1-2 hours before meals.
4. When performing exercises, you need to take into account your level of physical fitness, do not overexert yourself, monitor your breathing, and do not make sudden jerks.
5. It is better to choose clothes from natural fabrics, ones that will not restrict movement.

Back exercises during pregnancy

Particular attention should be paid to exercises to strengthen the back. This is important for pregnant women. After all, it is the muscles of the back and spine that experience the greatest load when the tummy begins to grow. These exercises help prevent painful sensations in the back area:

1. Exercises for posture. As your belly grows, your center of gravity shifts. Therefore, a pregnant woman involuntarily arches her lower back forward. If a woman stands up straight and straightens her back, this will relieve lumbar pain by relaxing the muscles. To perform this exercise, your posture must be perfectly straight. The shoulders are pulled back, the chest is raised, the ears are positioned at the same level as the shoulders. You need to tighten your stomach and at the same time reach up. Thus, you need to control your posture as often as possible.
2. Exercises for the back muscles. The back and abs muscles work to support the expanding belly. This exercise will strengthen them and prevent pain. You need to get on all fours. At the same time, extend your right arm forward and your left leg back. There is no need to strain your stomach at this time. Freeze in this position for a few seconds, then take the starting position. Repeat the exercise with your left arm and right leg. You can do 10-20 repetitions in total.
3. Pelvic rocking. This exercise works on posture and prevents back pain. You also need to get on all fours, straighten your back, bend your elbows slightly. Do not strain your stomach, but tighten it. Make movements with your pelvis, describing a figure eight.
4. Kitty. This exercise is quite common and is aimed at relieving tension from the spine. You need to initially keep your back straight, then lower your head, arch your back (round). Hold this for ten seconds and return to the starting position.

Back pain in pregnant women

Back pain in pregnant women occurs for various reasons:

• loss of elasticity of intervertebral discs;
• increased load on the spine, resulting in cracks appearing on the fibrous ring;
• pain often appears in the lower back - this core is compressed by the vertebrae. And when cracks appear, its cores get stuck in them;
• when the cracks become larger, this leads to intervertebral hernia;
• Sometimes pain appears due to spasms of the paravertebral muscles or due to their tension.

Such pain is typical for all pregnant women, but a hernia appears in some rare cases.

Treatments for back pain are selected individually. Among the general recommendations, the following can be noted:

1. Swimming. During swimming, the load is removed from the spine, pressure on the joints and back is reduced.
2. Exercise dog. You need to get on all fours, rest on your elbows, lower your shoulders, put your head in your hands. Relax your back, leaving it straight. Stand in this position for no more than 2-3 minutes. It can be performed up to 35 weeks of pregnancy.
3. Create comfortable conditions while sleeping. Sleep on a comfortable side with a special pregnancy pillow or place a small pillow under your stomach and between your legs.
4. Wearing a bandage to support the tummy and relieve stress on the back.
5. Yoga for pregnant women. Helps relax the necessary muscles and relieve back pain.
6. Hiking.

Exercises to strengthen the back muscles by trimester

At different stages of pregnancy, a woman feels differently, so the training system needs to be selected depending on the trimester.

In the 1st trimester, exercises for a pregnant woman’s back should be as gentle as possible. During this period, a woman often suffers from toxicosis and generally poor health. When performing any load, you need to be very careful. It is better to consult a doctor first. Exercise in the first trimester relieves fatigue, strengthens the back muscles and generally keeps the body in good shape. Home exercises for the first trimester are as follows:

• Walking (at home - walking in place). One minute on the full foot and one minute on the toes is enough.
• Torso rotation. Perform smooth circular rotations of the pelvis in both directions.
• Perform shallow squats, always with a straight back.
• Exercise "Cat" (the technique is described above).
• Bridge with hip lift. Lie on your back, bend your knees. Raise your knees up without lifting your shoulder blades from the floor. Stay in this position for one minute.

What exercises should pregnant women choose for their back in the 2nd trimester? This period is considered the calmest. During these months the tummy is still small, back pain practically does not bother me. Therefore, physical exercises are aimed at maintaining muscle tone and stretching, and at preventing lower back pain. The following exercises are recommended:

• sitting on the floor with a straight back, turn your torso in both directions;
• sitting on the floor with legs extended, lean forward, trying to touch your feet with your palms;
• From a standing position, bend to the sides;
• swing your legs from a position on all fours.

In the 3rd trimester, pregnant women should not be too active, the load should only be gentle. Fitball exercises, swimming, and shallow slow squats are suitable.

Prevention of back pain during pregnancy

Exercises for pregnant women for the back help to cope with emerging pain, but their prevention is no less important. As you know, it is better to prevent any problem than to solve it later.

During pregnancy, it is not recommended to wear heels or stand or sit for long periods of time. Night sleep should be made as comfortable as possible: sleep on a good orthopedic mattress, in a comfortable position. It is recommended to wear a brace and avoid lifting heavy objects. It is important to monitor your diet so as not to gain extra pounds, because excess weight increases the load on the spine and causes back pain.

Painful sensations during pregnancy can occur in various parts of the body. Pain is not always associated with the formation of pathology. Often soreness signals a lack of relaxation and rest. An example of such sensations is lower back pain. During pregnancy, most women experience such pain, especially in the last months. What to do when your lower back hurts during pregnancy, and how to prevent too much pain in the back of the expectant mother?

Causes of lower back pain during pregnancy

Pain indicates overexertion. Pain in the lumbar region at the beginning of pregnancy can signal a threat of miscarriage (especially if the severity and pain are pulsating, cramping in nature). In late pregnancy, pain often occurs due to pressure from the growing baby. The child quickly gains weight, the mother’s spine bends, and the body leans back (for balance). Constant stress on the lumbar region causes pain in the spine.

Another cause of pain is softening of the pelvic bones and sacrum. This is how the body prepares for future childbirth, the bones become softer and slightly diverge. In this case, lumbar pain may appear two to three weeks before childbirth.

Lower back pain can be the result of false contractions. They are often observed in the last month before childbirth, and are accompanied by muscle tension in the lower abdomen.

In the last months before birth, the weight of the baby compresses the blood vessels passing through the abdominal cavity. The diaphragm rises up, squeezing the vessels in the upper torso. Therefore, in the later stages, numbness appears in the legs or arms (as a result of poor blood supply to the extremities).

Exercises to unload the lumbar region

Special physical exercises can help reduce or prevent back pain. The exercises are aimed at relieving the load from the lumbosacral spine, resting it and relaxing it.

1. 1. Pose “on all fours” – provides relief from the lower back and restoration of normal blood flow along the spine. You can practice “all fours” from the fourth month of pregnancy twice a day for 3-5 minutes (to prevent pain). If pain appears, it is necessary to unload the lower back more often - three to four times a day for 10-15 minutes. A large fitness ball can make it easier to stay on all fours.

1. 1. “Cat” - bending down and arching the lower back upward from a pose on all fours.
   2. Swing your legs up backwards from the same position.

1. 1. Tilts to the right and left from the “sitting on the floor” position stretch the lower back and perineal muscles, preventing the formation of tears during childbirth.

1. 1. Twisting – lying on your back, touch the knee of your left leg to the mat on the right. At the same time, the spine twists. Similarly, touch the left knee of your right leg to the mat.
   2. Raise your pelvis from a supine position.

Water procedures: swimming and bathing

1. 1. Swimming – provides unloading of the lumbar region, without overloading it forms the mobility of the entire spine and pelvic bones. Swimming with diving (holding your breath) is an ideal preparation for childbirth, allowing you to give birth to a healthy, strong baby.

1. A warm bath allows every cell of your mother’s body to relax. The addition of essential oils can enhance the relaxation and pain relief effect.
2. Showering is a kind of massage. The slight pressure from each stream of water ensures increased blood flow in the affected area.

“It is important to know that contrast douches are a stimulant. That is, a contrast shower (alternating exposure to jets of water of different temperatures, alternating dousing with cold and hot streams) is necessary during the onset of labor (to increase tone and intensify contractions), as well as after childbirth (for effective passage of the placenta and clots, for good uterine contractions )"

Back massage

The main therapeutic effect of massage is to increase blood flow. Blood supplies tissues and the growing baby with oxygen and nutrients, and carries away waste products. When pain occurs, an increased amount of toxins is produced. Increased blood flow promotes their removal. Therefore, massage is a healing and pain reliever.

The massage should be light. Intensified massaging of the lower back in late pregnancy can cause premature birth.

“It is important to know that pressing on the dimples located on the back in the lumbar area stimulates labor. This type of massage is necessary during childbirth and is prohibited during pregnancy.”

Classes with a psychologist

If back pain is associated with excessive stress on the mother before childbirth, it makes sense to take a course with a psychologist. The level of pain sensations depends on the woman’s relaxation during labor and pregnancy. The more a woman in labor is tense and complex, the more complex her family situation is, the harder and more painful the birth of a baby is. For an easy labor process and to prevent unnecessary pain, you need to learn to relax the muscles of the back and abdomen, get rid of the fear of childbirth, and gain confidence in the successful and painless birth of the baby.

A course of sessions with a psychologist will provide the following:

• psychological preparation for childbirth;
• discussion and getting rid of fears that create tension and pain;
• visualization of normal childbirth is a technique that allows you to create a successful program for the future birth of a baby.

What else will help with lower back pain?

1. Hiking (preferably in a clean, non-polluted area: park, forest, country cottage area, bank of a river or lake, sea coast). Walking does not relieve the load from the lower back, it beneficial influence other:
   • activate blood flow in the legs and pelvic organs;
   • provides movement to the pelvic joints and sacral joints, which is important for future childbirth. With low mobility, incomplete opening of the pelvic bones and pathological development of labor are possible.
2. Relaxation and relaxation
3. Relieving pain with deep, calm breathing (saturates the body with oxygen, reducing the level of pain).
4. Correct sleeping position (on your side, slightly leaning forward, resting the knee of your upper leg on a special pillow or blanket).
5. Enhanced calcium nutrition (increased amount of foods containing calcium: milk, cottage cheese, fermented baked milk and kefir, greens and green smoothies, fish).
6. Bandage (supports the weight of a large fetus, reduces the load on the spine, reduces pain).

Many women begin to feel discomfort and pain in the back and lower back. For some it is just an unpleasant sensation, for others it can be truly excruciating.

There are several reasons why your back hurts during pregnancy: from wearing high heels to infectious diseases and the threat of miscarriage. Therefore, first of all, you should tell your doctor about the pain.

But most often, back pain during pregnancy does not indicate illness, but occurs for completely physiological reasons:

• moving the center of gravity due to increased weight.
• hormonal changes in the body of a pregnant woman.
• weakening of the ligamentous apparatus during pregnancy.
• poor physical fitness, weak back muscles.
• lack of calcium in the body

You can relieve back and lower back pain without the use of painkillers. A few simple stretching exercises will make your life much easier.

You can handle them even if you don't have any special athletic training. The main thing is not to rush, do not overload and perform the exercises carefully.

Exercises for back pain during pregnancy, video

This short, effective routine can be performed several times a day as tension and pain build up in your back.

Soft back crunches

Sit on the floor with your legs crossed.

Keeping your back straight, slowly move your hand behind your back and follow it with your whole body until you feel a slight stretch. Then just as slowly turn in the other direction.

Make sure your spine remains vertically straight. Repeat 10 turns to the right and left sides.

Child's Pose

This exercise helps relieve tension from the muscles of the back and spine.

Get on your knees and place your palms on the floor. Place your feet shoulder-width apart.

Without lifting your palms from the floor, lower your buttocks onto your heels. In this case, the stomach lies between the knees, and the arms and back muscles are gently stretched. Try to reach your forehead to the floor, stay in this position for 2-3 seconds and smoothly return to the starting position.

Repeat the exercise 10 times.

Exercise "Cat"

The starting position is the same: kneeling and placing your palms on the floor. As you inhale, tuck your stomach and arch your back so that you feel a slight stretch in all the muscles. Stay in this position for a few seconds, then return to the starting position. Repeat 10 times.

Exercise "Pendulum"

Stand up straight and raise your arms up. Reach your fingertips toward the ceiling to feel the side muscles of your torso stretch.

Without lowering your arms and keeping your body straight, gently lean to the right, hold for a few seconds and return to the starting position. Then gently lean to the left, hold the position for a few seconds, and return to the starting position.

Repeat the exercise several times.

Pigeon pose

Pigeon pose helps relieve tension in the pelvic bones and lower back.

Starting position: lying on the floor, elbows resting on the floor, left leg extended back, right leg bent at the knee under the stomach.
Stretching your arms forward, stretch your head and shoulders forward and down, trying to touch your forehead to the floor. Hold this position for a few seconds, then return to the starting position.

Switch legs and do the exercise again.