Kristie McNealy, MD

Today, we’re excited to bring you a guest post from Dr. Christina Lasich, author of  High Heels to Hormones: A Woman’s Guide to Spine Care, about back pain in pregnancy.  Check out her bio below for more information about Dr. Lasich.

Medical researchers are good at stating the obvious. Hey, guess what? Pregnancy often times leads to back pain. Lately, the focus of the medical literature seems to be in describing the risk factors. So what? Well, I came across some interesting facts that can help you impress somebody at a baby shower. First, women younger than age 20 years old are more likely to experience pregnancy related back pain. Could skeletal immaturity be the culprit? That relationship has yet to be explored. Another interesting fact, the largest pregnant bellies account the most back pain.  One day, a woman showed me a picture of herself in full pregnancy glory-HUGE. She knew that the expansion of her stomach twenty years ago was the root of her back pain; thus, she carried the picture to my office for me to visualize the enormity. Ouch, that looked painful. Enough talking about risk factors, let’s talk about solutions.

So, while the medical community is still trying to figure out how to define and describe low back pain in pregnancy, we need to do something, now. One thing that relieves back pain is unloading. Taking the load off can be tricky with a basketball-sized belly. The water is great for this.  Try using those noodle-shaped floatation devices , and float while resting your arms and legs on the noodles. Another way to take the load off is to lie on your side with a body pillow. This is especially comforting when you pull your knees to your chest-the fetal position. Depressurizing the back whether or not you are pregnant is one of my “triple D’s” for spine pain. (The others are Desensitize the nervous system and yourself, and Develop good habits and support.)

Researchers know that loose joints in the back can cause pain during pregnancy. (Looseness in the joints is required to fit that 10 pounder through the birth canal.) Your muscles help to support the spine. However, the major muscle stabilizers are your tummy muscles which are currently stretched beyond belief because you’re pregnant. With encouragement, these muscles can still turn on and help out. If you sit on one of those big rubber balls or a rocking chair, just a little wobbly movement can activate these stabilizing muscles which maintain your balance. Taking walks, swimming, or any light aerobic activity is always a great way to control pain. By continuing to develop these exercise habits you will be less likely to be a mother with low back pain.

If you are pregnant and a mother with a little one crying and pulling on your sleeve, please be careful with your back when you pick-up junior. Bend your knees, use comfortable baby hammocks, and take a break once and a while, because you are at high risk for pain during pregnancy.

Real life mothers-to-be need solutions for back pain like depressurizing the spine and developing good habits. Share with each other methods that work because open communication is the best road for comfort and relief, no science required.

ABOUT CHRISTINA LASICH, M.D.

Christina Lasich, M.D., is a concerned physician with spine pain herself. She has practiced in the area of spine rehabilitation for more than 10 years and is an award-winning graduate from the University of California, Davis School of Medicine. Although she focuses on back, neck and other musculoskeletal injuries, she also meets the rehabilitative needs of people with spinal cord injuries, strokes, traumatic brain injuries, muscular dystrophies, ALS, multiple sclerosis, amputations and other painful conditions.

Prior to entering medical school, she worked as a firefighter for the California Department of Forestry. She loved the job and she found her husband. Loyal to her original dream of becoming a doctor, she hung her firefighting helmet in the closet forever in 1993. (Thankfully, she still has a great husband.)

Dr. Lasich currently has a private practice in Grass Valley, near Sacramento, CA. Her philosophy is simple: “Pain is your doorway to transformation.” For more information, please visit www.gvbacks.com and www.christinalasich.com.

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