Back
pain is inevitably associated with pregnancy. It is unfortunate that thousands
of women every year suffer more than they have to during pregnancy and after
delivery. Learning about the mechanics of the spine and its related muscles
and ligaments, and doing some simple exercises can be the key to a healthier
spine with less pain. The purpose of this article is to introduce the reader
to some basic concepts and principals in spinal mechanics. It is geared for
the pregnant woman who desires optimal health and safety for themselves and
their babies as well as minimized back pain. Understanding mechanical back pain is very important. If you understand it you are more than half way towards solving your problems. Pain of mechanical origin occurs when the joints between two bones have been in a position that over stretches the surrounding tissue. This is true for mechanical pain of the joints of the spine or any other joint in the body. To help you better understand mechanical pain lets try a simple experiment. First, bend one finger backwards (with the help of a finger from the other hand) until you feel a strain. If you cause the finger to remain in this strained position, you will initially feel mild discomfort, but as time passes, pain will eventually develop. In some cases pain caused by prolonged stretching will take as long as an hour to occur. Try this experiment one more time and this time bend the finger further and you will feel pain immediately. This sensation is caused by the overstretching and the pain is a warning sign that continued stretching will cause damage. Some people can have mild stretching over time and not feel pain or discomfort. For example in cases of poor posture the chronic stretching will be so mild that the discomfort will not be noticed. This is the classic example of the slumping posture. The person will not even be able to straighten up due to the change in the ligaments.
If a mechanical engineer were to be consulted on the spine. The conclusion would be that the most common area injured in the spine is the area just above the pelvis or the lower back. Statistics show that pain occurs more often in the low back than any other part of the spine. Contrary to common belief, low back pain is not caused by drafts, chills, a cold wind in the back, or changes in the weather. It was once believed that weather related phenomenon caused back and neck pain. Today we have a greater and deeper understanding of the true causes of back pain. This does not mean that certain arthritic conditions are not worsened by cold damp weather, but this is not the cause of arthritis. (See the article on arthridities).
It
is generally agreed upon by specialties that most back pain is caused by mechanical
strains mentioned above. It is often and mistakenly so thought that low back
pain is commonly caused by muscle strain. Muscles are the source of power and
cause bones to move. They can be indeed over exerted and injured. This does
not happen often and requires a considerable amount of force like a burst of
energy or a jump. An example would be the in the calf or hamstring. In the spine
this type of burst energy is unlikely. Moreover, muscles heal very quickly and
according to leading authorities spinal muscles heal with in days. Cases of
low back pain usually last for weeks, months even years untreated. And, left
untreated can lead to arthritis. It is the muscles of the limbs that take four
to six weeks to heal, not spinal muscles. When the injury to the spine is sufficient
to injure the muscles of the spine there is usually accompanying ligaments and
joint damage. This is what confuses the issue. This is the compound nature of
the injury. In fact, soft tissue and ligaments become damaged long before muscles
do. Most low back pain is caused by prolonged over stretching of the ligaments
and surrounding soft tissues. Pain produced by over stretching in this manner
is very common and arises particularly when we develop poor postural habits.
Whenever we remain in a (relaxed) slumped posture, (whether sitting, standing
or laying down) over stretching can occur. Over stretching of ligaments and
joints an cause pinching of the tissue in-between the joints and cause considerable
pain. This can also cause adjacent joints to get blocked or stuck as the body
tries to protect itself from further injury. This blockage can be painless or
very painful. Either way it can lead to degenerative arthritis. 
As an infant develops in
the mothers womb Two simple changes occur that affect the mothers posture. Firstly,
there is the gradual (at times rapid) increase in weight and bulk of the developing
baby and related fluid and tissues. In order to maintain balance during standing
and walking the mother must lean backwards to further accommodate her altered
weight distribution. The result of this postural change is an increase in the
curve of the low back. In the final trimester of pregnancy, the curve becomes
excessive and this leads to over stretching of the ligaments and the tissues
of the joints surrounding the low back. Secondly, and most importantly, to prepare
the body for the impending delivery of the baby, the joints that hold together
the pelvis and lower back are made more flexible. This occurs by a hormone introduced
during pregnancy that relaxes the joints and ligaments of the body. This hormone
flows in the blood and is not specific to the pelvis area this is why some women
develop wrist pain during pregnancy as well as other problems. The greater elasticity
of the ligaments and joints of the body mean that they are easily over stretched
and injured. After the delivery many new mothers are not able to care for themselves
properly and the postural faults developed during pregnancy remain though out
life. These postural problems get worse with each pregnancy. Once the cause
of the pain has been determined the chiropractor can design specific exercises
to help strengthen the postural muscles and help eliminate the pain. Then after
delivery the exercises can help restore the spine to its normal pre pregnancy
condition.