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Pregnancy and Back Pain
With a weight bulge challenging a woman's center of gravity, it's no wonder that half of pregnant women battle back pain. While most back pain goes away within six weeks of childbirth, about 15 percent of new moms still flinch with lingering aches, says Alan M. Levine, M.D., a Baltimore-based orthopedic spine surgeon and editor in chief of the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Protect your back with Levine's strain-saving strategies:
Tone your ab and back muscles. During pregnancy, exercise as far along in the process as your doctor allows. After giving birth, start crunches and back extensions as soon as possible (for most women this means one week -- C-section, six weeks -- but check with your doctor).
Keep moving. Regular aerobic activity and stretching (as simple as bending over and reaching for your toes) will loosen and warm up muscles, making them less vulnerable to getting twisted and pulled out of whack.
Lift correctly. Holding weight at arm's length will strain muscles more than carrying items close to your chest. Avoid reaching over obstacles: Lower the side of the crib; remove the high-chair tray. (Even non-moms can benefit from lifting the right way.)
Carry with care. Do not prop a child on your hip; this overloads the back muscles. Try a backpack or a Snugli.
Just like extra pounds, back pain should eventually be part of a new mom's past. If you're using these strategies and pain persists longer than six weeks or gets worse, see a doctor. Also, if the pain radiates from your back down into your legs, it could be a sign of something more serious, such as a disk herniation, which will need a doctor's attention.
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