Pregnancy and Back Pain

Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction

Pregnancy and back pain go hand in hand unfortunately – more than 70% of pregnant women will develop back or sacroiliac joint pain (Pennick & Young 2008)

Sacroiliac Joints are where the pelvic bones meet the sacrum or tail bone

It is very common for pregnant women to develop sacroiliac joint pain. This is caused by a disruption of the sacroiliac joint due to the hormonal and mechanical changes associated with pregnancy. The sacroiliac joints are where the pelvis attaches to the sacrum, the joints normally have only a tiny amount of movement.

If the joints stayed this stiff it would create a major problem during childbirth as there would not be enough room for the baby to be delivered. In order to allow the baby room the body produces a hormone which allows the very stiff ligaments supporting these joints to soften. This hormone enables an outward, opening up movement of the pelvis. So during pregnancy normally stiff joints become more flexible and this combined with the weight of a developing baby and with changes in posture lead to a high chance of back pain in pregnancy.

Knowing that there is a good chance of developing this type of pain it is a really good idea to try and avoid activities which may aggravate the problem.

Tips to reduce sacroiliac joint dysfunction and pregnancy back pain

Sacroiliac joint problems are made worse with activities that involve using one leg. (This may seem odd but single leg or unilateral activities stress the joint). Examples of this include getting in and out of the car and climbing stairs etc.

• You may find a brace or support helpful.

Some research trials have found that using a sacroiliac brace is useful for reducing this type of back pain (Kaluset al. 2008).The support belt the researchers found helpful was the *Bellybra although there are many similar ones on the market.

• Sit down to put tights or trousers on, don’t hop about on one leg.
  
  
• Get into the car by sitting on the edge of the seat , keep your knees together and then swing them into the car.
  
  
• When getting out of bed, roll onto your side with your knees pressed together and push up on one arm. Swing your legs out of the bed together. Reverse this to get back into bed.
  
  
• Climbing stairs may hurt – you may need to climb them one step at a time and use a rail.
  
  
• Getting in and out of the bath needs to be done with care, step into the bath and then lower yourself down – don’t try and do it in one movement.
  
  
• Sleeping using a *Full Body Pillow may help you keep your knees together more comfortably at night.
  

References

Pennick, V. & Young, G. Interventions for preventing and treating pelvic and back pain in pregnancy. (2008).

Kalus, S.M., Kornman, L.H. & Quinlivan, J.A. Managing back pain in pregnancy using a support garment: a randomised trial. BJOG 115, 68-75 (2008).

Ho, S.S.M. et al. Effectiveness of maternity support belts in reducing low back pain during pregnancy: a review. J Clin Nurs 18, 1523-1532 (2009).

More resources

Read more about the sacroiliac joint and the changes that occur during pregnancy in this back pain in early pregnancy section.

Pregnancy and Back Pain Overview

Causes of Back Pain in Pregnancy

Treatment of Lower Back Pain during Pregnancy

Lower Back Pain Toolkit Home Page

23-Sep-2011