Pregnancy Related Pain – Treatment Options

Treatment Options for Pregnancy Related Pain

Somewhere between 4-90% of pregnant individuals experience pain, depending on which study you read. We know pain during pregnancy is common.  In fact, it is so common, that many consider pain to be ubiquitous with pregnancy.  This belief, whether examined or not, is impacting the experience of pregnant people.  Consider that of this percentage of the pregnant population that experiences pain, only about one third of them will even bring it up to their care providers. Of that third who bring it up, only about 25% will receive any care recommendations for symptom management. 

 

This is appalling to me.  Just because pain is common does not mean you have to grin and bear it, nor does it imply that it is pain is benign. Pain impacts your experience.  Pain may impact your sleep quality, sex life, work capacity, housework completion, parenting compassion, self-care, and physical activity.  These are all really important aspects of your life experience and pregnancy health.  Pain is such a strong influencer that it can even prevent people from choosing to expand their family because they do not want to go through that negative painful pregnancy experience again. 

We could discuss to ethics and emotions and implications of how we relate to pain during pregnancy for days, but my goal here is just to let you know that there are safe and effective treatment options available to you.  Obviously, the care plan that is best for you will depend on your specific cause of pain and clinical presentation.  That being said, here are a few treatment options that may be worth exploring. 

 

1 – Exercise

I listed exercise first for a reason. We could go on for days on the benefits of exercise for both mom and babe.  Physical activity is safe during all stages of pregnancy.  It is one of the main reasons why pain management is so important during pregnancy, because pain impacts your capacity to be physical active. The neat thing is

that exercise can also be therapy!  Chiropractors and physical therapists can prescribe a specific home exercise plan that will help you to both manage pain and strengthen your body as you prepare for baby. 

As an FYI, the current recommendation is a minimum of 150 minutes of physical activity each week during pregnancy, with a minimum of 3 days of activity a week (although the ideal is 7 days). 

 

 

https://altaviehealth.com/exercise-during-pregnancy/

https://altaviehealth.com/kinesiology-tape-during-pregnancy/

 

2 – Soft Tissue Therapies & Massage

As your connective tissues become more flexible due to hormonal influences, you have less “passive tension” to rely on around your joints.  It is the job of your muscles to pick up the slack for those “loose ligaments”.  Muscle tone, stamina, and strength are all important for your body to move well and load in a healthy way.  Exercise is important for this, but soft tissue therapy is helpful as well.  Soft tissue therapies and massage help to keep your tissues healthy and supple so you feel good and adapt gracefully as your body goes through these incredible changes. 

3 – Chiropractic Adjustments/Manipulations & Joint Mobilizations

Spinal manipulative therapies (SMT) and joint mobilizations are another great treatment option available for pregnant individuals managing mechanical dysfunctions and pain.  There are modifications to positions and techniques that allow us to better meet the unique needs of a pregnant body.  Some techniques focus on moving a restricted joint into a fuller range of motions. Others are centred around improving the fidelity of the information coming from an area so your brain-body control centres operate with more finesse.  There has been more research looking at chiropractic care for low back pain and pelvic-girdle pain during pregnancy in recent years.  I was also involved in a nation-wide project that is currently under review to establish more up-to-date guidelines for manipulative therapies during pregnancy (and postpartum). More to come soon on that topic!

4 – Kinesiology Taping

Kinesiology tape during pregnancy can be such a great tool because it follows you around.  This flexible tape does not restrict your range of motion, but it does change the feedback coming from a  certain area of your body in a way that tends to improve stamina and comfort.  It’s noninvasive, although, due to the amount of stretch on your skin as your belly grows, you are at higher risk of a skin irritation.    

 

5 – Education & Information

Knowledge is power.  The more you understand about your body and the dynamics that are influencing your pain, the less anxiety you will feel. Also, the better you will be equipped to make decisions, both in office and out-and-about, that are more likely to help you than hinder you.  At our office, we place a strong emphasis on patient education.  We love to teach about the physical changes to the body during pregnancy and how we adapt to them.  The more you know, the more empowered you will be to control your situation.  Hence, this blog!

There are so many more potential treatment options out there for people in pain during pregnancy.  I have not even touched on support belts, pillows, TENS, acupuncture, ergonomic and postural evaluations, smoking cessation, weight management, inflammatory support, and so much more.  I chose these five because I feel they the most accessible and important.  The nice thing is, you don’t have to choose.  More often than not, a care plan is multimodal, meaning it includes a variety of treatment options blended together to meet your specific needs based on a thorough history and physical examination.  It is also team-based. 

You are not in this alone and you do not need to suffer through it.  Partner with a pregnancy-savvy practitioner to build the right treatment approach for you so that you may enjoy your pregnancy and a healthy lifestyle as your prepare for baby. 

If you are in Kelowna, check out AltaVie Health!  We focus entirely on pedaitric and perinatal care and we have lots of options for pain support during pregnancy.

BOOK an appointment OR 15 min Free phone call

References

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