Pregnancy is a gift almost every family is waiting for. For the expectant parents, it is the time when they feel that they are truly accomplished. For new mothers, excitement and ecstacy overwhelm them as this event will fulfill their power as a bringer of life. However, with this gift comes a multitude of symptoms that aren’t exactly a walk through the park.

Pregnancy is usually signaled by a missed menstrual period. During this time, the woman’s body I already changing – hormone levels spike up and down, causing a multitude of conditions that may burden the expectant mother during the duration of her pregnancy.

During the first trimester, the new mother experiences more signs that she is already pregnant. These symptoms include:
l Extreme fatigue. This is due to the increase in progesterone production in the woman’s body.
l Food cravings. This is body’s means of dictating the mother what the baby needs.
l Increased urination. As the woman’s womb is continually increasing to accommodate the growing child, it exerts more pressure on the urine bladder.
l Breast tenderness. The breasts start to change in preparation for feeding the coming baby.
l Abdominal cramps. This follows implantation of the embryo on the uterus.
l Nausea or “Morning sickness”. This is because an increase in the hormone progesterone relaxes the uterine muscles, which prevents early labor. But it may also relax the stomach and intestines, leading to excess stomach acids.
l Mood swings. Most people confuse this with postpartum depression. This differs from the latter in the sense that this passes in a matter of days or weeks.

During the second trimester, which comes three and a half months after conceiving the baby, the baby extensively develops. This is also the stage where pregnancy becomes physically obvious. Below are a list of symptoms manifested by women on their second trimester:
l Swelling. This is because during pregnancy, body fluids are increased.
l Varicose veins. During pregnancy, increased pressure is experienced by veins, causing blood to pool.
l Fetal kick. Sometime during the second trimester, the mother can feel the baby start kicking.
l Confusion and clumsiness. Due to the woman’s ever changing hormonal level, it makes concertrating a bit more difficult.
l Backache. The added weight of the baby plus the increased body fluid increases pressure on the spine.

At the third trimester, the stomach now protrudes more prominently, causing the following symptoms:
l Increased back pain.
l Increased moodiness.

Among all the symptoms mentioned above, coping with lower back ache seem to be the most persistent. It starts from the second trimester and ends after giving birth. How does a pregnant woman get through this hurdle? Here are some tips for pain relief during pregnancy:
l Always practice good posture. This is to ensure that muscle strain due to the increasing weight and the shifted center of gravity while standing up is lessened.
l Always sit and stand with care. Sit with feet slightly elevated. Choose a ergonomically correct chair that provides support to your back. Shift positions often, and avoid standing for a long time.
l Always sleep on your side. Sleep on one side, not your back, keeping one of both knees bent.
l Always perform proper lifting techniques. Squat down when lifting a small object, instead of bending over. Avoid sudden reaching movements.
l Exercise. Regular exercise may help strengthen the back muscles.
l Medications. Certain pain relief medications may cause complications to a pregnant woman and her unborn child. For these cases where medication is clearly required, doctors look for safe drug alternatives that have the same effect of pain relief during pregnancy.

Back pain during pregnancy may just be a passing discomfort, however it should never be taken from granted. Back pain may already be a signal that your pregnancy is experiencing some sort of complication. Be in tuned with your body and what it is feelings. Immediately consult your doctor for any discomfort your experience, however normal everybody says it is.

Lower back pain exercises are very important for the treatment of back pain and the strengthening of the back muscles. These exercises should be recommended by one’s orthopedic surgeon or the physiotherapist and need to be carried out regularly in the correct manner, in order to derive maximum benefit.

Doctors recommend different exercises in accordance to the condition of a patient. The exercises recommended in the initial and final stages of the treatment also vary. Walking, swimming, biking and aerobic exercises are commonly recommended lower back pain exercises.

In the initial stages of the treatment, doctors recommend exercises involving upward and downward movements of ankles. Exercises, such as the abdominal contraction, wall squats, heel raises and straight leg raises, involve tightening of the abdominal muscles while moving the knees or heels.

In the intermediate treatment program, one can perform back pain exercises, such as the single knee to chest stretch, the hamstring stretch and the lumbar stabilization exercise with the Swiss ball. It is important to ensure that the abdominal muscles remain contracted during each exercise. For this, one needs to lie on his/her back with knees bent and hands resting below ribs.

The advanced lower back pain exercises program involves exercises such as the Hip Flexor Stretch, the Piriformis stretch and the lumbar stabilization exercises with the Swiss ball. Some exercises strain the lower back and should be avoided. These include the hip twists, the hurdlers stretch, sit-ups with straight legs and any kind of stretching exercise that requires quick and bouncy movements. Physical activities, such as swimming and walking, are very good for the strengthening of the back. One must seek proper guidance before taking up any exercise for the treatment of back-related problems.

If you suffer from severe back pain and fear that surgery may be necessary, or if surgery has been recommended and you question the wisdom of it, you may want to try some non-surgical physical treatments first.

Unless your back pain is due to an infection, malformation of the back, or tumor, some type of physical treatment can probably help it. Let’s look at a few of the more popular and effective types of treatment.

Chiropractic Therapy

Chiropractic treatment has been shown to be most effective when applied within 2 months of the onset of back pain. Chiropractors realign the spine, increase the range of motion in back muscles, increase the flexibility of spinal soft tissue, break down scar tissue, and reduce pressure from constricted and misaligned spinal joints, all of which help to relieve pain. Usually treatment takes around 15 minutes 3 times a week at first. Over a few weeks sessions decrease until you are on a maintenance program of once a month or even “come come only if it hurts.”

Acupuncture

Studies by the National Institutes of Health show that acupuncture is very effective in treating back pain. According to the theory of acupuncture, energy (known as chi) flows through the body along pathways called meridians. If the flow of chi is interrupted, pain or illness can result.

An acupuncturist uses very thin needles inserted into the skin along the meridians to correct the flow of chi. You may be surprised to learn that acupuncture is rarely described as painful. In fact, many people find it relaxing and even fall asleep during treatment.

Physical Therapy

A good physical therapist will combine passive and active treatments, since exercise is essential to the long term imporvement in back pain.

Active therapy involves the patient’s participation. The therapist will determine which exercises are best for a particular condition, and supervise you in those exercises to ensure that you are doing them correctly. They will include:
* stretching
* strength building exercises
* aerobic exercise.

Passive therapy is done on you, usually while you are relaxing, and includes:
* heat or cold therapy
* electrical stimulation
* ultrasound
* massage
* iontophoresis (inserting a drug through intact skin using an electric current).

Other Alternatives to Surgery

In addition to these 3 modalities, many other non-surgical treatments exist for back pain, among them massage, and the use of herbs and natural supplements.