Pregnancy and back pain go hand in hand for most women, approximately 80 percent of them experience back pain ranging from mild to severe and in some rare cases even debilitating pain. In severe cases one has to see a doctor to rule out complications with pregnancy and labor. For the others, the reason could be as simple as hormonal changes that take place which result in loosening of the joints and this weakens the spinal structure. The weight gain during pregnancy also compounds the effect of strain on the back. The change in the centre of gravity with the growth of the baby in the womb also makes back pain severe. The problems pregnancy can cause to the human body makes exercises for back pain reduction during pregnancy a good thing to try.

The common thought for women experiencing pain in the back during pregnancy is the urge to rest and avoid any kind of physical activity. On the contrary, doing some mild exercise helps to remove the strain felt on the spinal joints and muscles. The fact that most back pains experienced during pregnancy are temporary and would generally disappear after the delivery should encourage the pregnant women to take up some form of activity on the advice of the doctor and keeping the level mild and not exhausting oneself.
 

Pregnant women should take care to exercise at a mild to moderate level, but not to the point of exhaustion.

Exercises include:

Cardiovascular: Walking and swimming done at a moderate level for about 15 to 20 minutes twice or thrice a week should help in increasing the heart rate, promote the supply of oxygen and blood to the muscles and thus decrease pain.

Muscle strengthening exercises: the muscles that need to be targeted are pelvic floor muscles, legs, abdomen and the back muscles. Pelvic tilts that are performed lying on one’s back, followed by “arm and leg raises” help.

Pelvic floor muscle exercises also known as kegel exercises help as they are absolutely safe and involve the contracting of the pelvic floor muscles that form an eight shape figure in the pubic area, and then followed by relaxing these muscles. Doing 8-10 squeezes helps and they should be performed 3-5 times in a day.

Stretching is safe and should be done to improve flexibility. The stretching exercises that help include the cat pose during which one has to sit on all fours (hands and legs) parallel to the floor with the neck bent downward and then relaxing the back muscles and moving the neck upward. You could place a pillow under the abdomen to help support the stomach, but don’t press against the pillow or lie on it.

Hamstring stretch and chest stretches also help promote relaxation of the muscles of the back. Always remember to consult your doctor and find a good certified instructor having experience teaching fitness to pregnant women.

Penni Thorpe from yogaatchange.com has 17 years of experience in teaching yoga exercises, and in this video demonstrates prenatal yoga techniques.

This video demonstrates some recommended abdominal exercises for pregnant women. These exercises utilize a stability ball. Kathleen Donahoe – Fitness Senior Instructor from Oh Baby Fitness leads the demonstration of how to do some modified abdominal work.

 
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