Having postpartum back pain? Acupuncture can help

The body goes through transformation during pregnancy and needs to change back to normal after delivery. Postpartum back pain is very common. For some women, back pain started during the pregnancy and continues after delivery.

Your body goes through quite a transformation during and after pregnancy. Your entire lifecycle changes while you are carrying a baby, be it your sleeping pattern, your posture, the way you walk, mood swings; and the list goes on!

This lower back pain after delivery can also hinder the recovery, making it difficult to move or even sit for long.

The main cause of back pain is hormones. Your body releases progesterone and relaxin hormones during pregnancy which relaxes the ligaments and joints of the pelvis, for easing out the baby during delivery. As these hormones stay with you for a few more months, the ligaments and joints need to return to normal. Changes of posture during pregnancy such as posture for sleeping, standing walking causes back pain and sudden changes after delivery. Putting on weight during pregnancy is extra work for the joints and muscles. The expansion of the uterus during pregnancy causes additional strain on the lower abdominal muscles and lower back. Pushing the baby out could strain muscles and ligaments. Sleepless nights post-delivery, bending, and lifting the baby frequently add extra stress to the back. Incorrect posture while breastfeeding the baby can cause stress on the lower back muscles. Additional physically strenuous work during or after pregnancy could a contributor to the back pain.

It takes almost six months for your body to settle in and for the relaxin hormones to subside in the body, so by then usually your back pain should recede. If not, you need to seek help to get rid of the back pain. Acupuncture can help reduce postpartum back pain.