Why Does Pregnancy Cause So Much Back, Hip and Pelvic Pain?
Pregnancy is an incredible example of just how adaptable the human body is.
In a relatively short period of time, your body changes dramatically to grow and eventually deliver a baby. Your centre of gravity shifts. Your abdomen expands. Your posture and the way you move begin to change. Hormonal changes affect the tissues supporting your joints. And your muscles have to continually adjust to a body that is quite literally changing from week to week.
So perhaps it isn't surprising that back, hip and pelvic pain are so common during pregnancy.
But common doesn't necessarily mean you simply have to put up with it.
Why does pregnancy change the way you move?
As your baby grows, your body's centre of gravity gradually moves forward. Your pelvis and spine have to accommodate your changing shape and weight, and muscles that once did their jobs under one set of circumstances are suddenly being asked to work differently.
Pregnancy also brings hormonal changes that affect the ligaments and other tissues supporting your joints. Combine that with changes in posture, movement, sleep positions and everyday activities, and your musculoskeletal system has a lot to adapt to.
That's why one woman may notice an aching back, while another feels pain around the sacroiliac joints at the back of the pelvis. Others experience discomfort through the hips, pubic area or groin.
And sometimes it's not one particular structure causing the problem. It's the way the entire system is adapting—or struggling to adapt—to all of the changes taking place.
Your nervous system is part of the picture too
This is the part of pregnancy care that I find particularly interesting as a chiropractor.
Your joints, muscles and other tissues are continually sending sensory information to your brain about where your body is and how it's moving. Your brain uses that information to coordinate movement, balance and muscle activity.
During pregnancy, the body that your brain is controlling is constantly changing.
Think about that for a moment. Your shape is changing. Your weight distribution is changing. The way you stand, walk, roll over in bed, get out of a chair and even climb stairs may change.
Your nervous system has to continually adapt along with you.
That's one of the reasons I look at more than simply where it hurts when I assess a pregnant woman. I want to know how her spine and pelvis are moving, how her body is compensating and how well the different parts are working together.
Where does chiropractic fit?
When I adjust the spine or pelvis, the woman may experience it simply as movement in a joint or a change in how her back or hips feel. But movement of those joints also provides sensory information to the brain and nervous system.
My goal isn't simply to chase the painful spot. It's to help the spine and pelvis move and function as well as possible while the body adapts to the enormous changes of pregnancy.
And this isn't only about getting through pregnancy more comfortably.
I want women to be able to keep moving, exercising, sleeping and doing the things they need and want to do as their pregnancy progresses. And as we get closer to delivery, we're also thinking about helping the pelvis move as well as possible as the body prepares for labour and birth.
Pregnancy is a season of enormous adaptation
Your body was designed to change during pregnancy. But that doesn't mean every ache or pain should automatically be dismissed as “just part of being pregnant.”
Sometimes discomfort is your body's way of telling you that something isn't adapting particularly well.
Understanding why your body is changing—and supporting it as those changes occur—can make pregnancy feel much less like something you simply have to endure.
If you're pregnant and wondering whether the back, hip or pelvic discomfort you're experiencing is something you should have assessed, we're always happy to talk with you about what you're feeling and whether chiropractic care may be appropriate for you.
Dr. Shawna Dingman is a chiropractor and owner of Elevate Women’s Health Centre in Port Perry, Ontario. She has been caring for families since 2000, with a particular focus on chiropractic care for women, children and babies.