Do exercises improve back pain in pregnancy?

Abstract

Objective To assess the efficacy of an exercise program towards reducing back pain in pregnant women. Methods In this prospective control study, 145 low risk pregnant women who scored more than 20 for functional limitation assessment were recruited. The severity of back pain was assessed using the visual analoque scale (VAS) and the functional limitation was assessed using the Oswestry disability questionnaire (ODQ). All participants were informed of back care measures and provided with Paracetamol as an adjunct analgesia. The intervention group will have a session with a trained physiotherapist. Subsequently, all participants will be required to fill in a similar questionnaire regarding pain intensity and functional limitation assessment after 6 weeks post-intervention. Results There was a significant reduction in the VAS score and improvement in functional ODQ score in the intervention group. The median usage of Paracetamol as an analgesia to control back pain in the control group was 500 mg higher than the intervention group. There was a weak association of age, parity, duration of back pain, and body mass index with functional ODQ score at 6 week following intervention. Conclusion The back pain exercise reducing program was effective in reducing back pain intensity and analgesia usage with a significant improvement in functional ability.

Effects of a concurrent exercise training program on low back and sciatic pain and pain disability in late pregnancy

“…In fact, in a recent study performed in pregnant women, the median usage of Paracetamol as an analgesic to control back pain in the control group was 500 mg higher than in the exercise group. 15 Despite the exact mechanisms to explain exerciseinduced hypoalgesia are still unclear, there are potential factors that might explain this lower pain through the concurrent exercise First, it is widely demonstrated that aerobic exercise reduces pain sensitivity across all types of pain, 11 even in populations without chronic pain. 11 One of these mechanisms is the activation of the endogenous opioid system 11 as aerobic exercise may promote the liberation of beta-endorphins, inducing positive changes in pain sensitivity or analgesia.…”

“…To date, some authors have shown the potential of exercise during pregnancy on reducing backpain intensity and associated disability, 13,14 including less need for analgesia. 15 Notwithstanding, systematic reviews on the topic 14,[16][17][18] suggest that exercise exerts a small protective effect against low back pain during gestation, which might be partially justified by the scarce, equivocal, and low-quality evidence. 14,16 There is also a lack of studies focusing on the effects of exercise on sciatic pain during pregnancy and concerning the best exercise training modality (e.g., aerobic exercise, resistance training, and concurrent exercise) for decreasing pain in this stage of women's life.…”

Asymmetry in Paraspinal Muscles as a Predictor of the Development of Pregnancy-Related Low Back and Pelvic Pain: A Prospective Study.

“…Numerous studies have demonstrated that exercise, including deep and super cial lumbopelvic muscles, can help reduce the severity of LPP during pregnancy with an improvement in functional ability [19][20][21][22][23].…”

Effect of Practicing Sitting Pelvic Tilt Exercise on the Intensity of Pregnancy-related Lumbopelvic Pain

“…During pregnancy, almost half of women with initially manifesting LBP continue to have pain until the end of the first year after delivery. Typically, PGP starts by the end of the third month of gestation, with a peak between the twenty fourth and thirty sixth gestational weeks, lasting for about six months after women's self-care activities during puerperium (Abu et al, 2017).…”