Exercise Selection and Adaptations During Pregnancy

Szumilewicz, Anna; Santos-Rocha, Rita

doi:10.1007/978-3-031-06137-0_9

Cited by 6 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 102 publications

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“…Future research could address these limitations by incorporating objective measures of pain and function and expanding the study's demographic reach to include a more diverse participant pool. Despite these limitations, the study contributes valuable insights into the management of pregnancy-related musculoskeletal pain (11,22). The demonstrated effectiveness of the antenatal exercises program supports the integration of structured physical activity into prenatal care regimens (5).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 81%

Effectiveness of Antenatal Exercises Program for the Management of Neck and Shoulder Pain

Langah,

Pinky,

Ali

et al. 2024

JHRR

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Background: Pregnancy is a significant period in a woman's life, often accompanied by various physical discomforts, including neck and shoulder pain. The management of these discomforts through non-pharmacological methods, particularly exercise, has gained attention due to its potential benefits for both maternal and fetal health. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a structured antenatal exercise program in reducing the severity of neck and shoulder pain, improving functional limitations, and enhancing the quality of life among pregnant women. Methods: A randomized control trial was conducted at the Jinnah College of Rehabilitation Sciences, Sohail University, Karachi, from June to December 2023. A total of 220 pregnant women between 14 to 30 weeks of gestation were recruited and randomly assigned to either an intervention group (n=110) or a control group (n=110). The intervention group participated in a structured antenatal exercise program designed by certified physiotherapists, which included stretching, strengthening, and relaxation exercises targeting the neck and shoulder muscles. The control group received standard prenatal care. Data on pain severity, functional limitations, and quality of life were collected at baseline, mid-intervention, and post-intervention. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 25.0, with p-values less than 0.05 considered statistically significant. Results: The intervention group demonstrated a significant reduction in pain scores from a baseline of 6.0 to 3.0 post-intervention, compared to the control group, which saw a decrease from 6.0 to 5.0 (p<0.01). Functional limitations were also significantly reduced in the intervention group, from 70% at baseline to 20% post-intervention, whereas the control group showed a reduction from 70% to 60% (p<0.01). Positive feedback regarding pain relief, mobility, and empowerment was reported by participants in the intervention group. Conclusion: The structured antenatal exercise program was effective in significantly reducing neck and shoulder pain and improving functional limitations among pregnant women. These findings suggest that antenatal exercise programs can be a valuable component of prenatal care, enhancing the overall well-being of pregnant women.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 81%

Effectiveness of Antenatal Exercises Program for the Management of Neck and Shoulder Pain

Langah,

Pinky,

Ali

et al. 2024

JHRR

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“…Women did not need any equipment during exercises and only resistance of own body was applied. Women were able to participate in the training program regardless of their level of fitness or exercise capacity, as well as the level of motor skills (based on the diagnostic exercise tests, the exercise program was tailored to the individual needs and capabilities of a woman ( 50 , 51 )).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The whole HIIT program was supplemented by educational class once a week. All sessions were conducted by the principal researcher, who is a graduated fitness professional and certified Pregnancy and Postnatal Exercise Specialist according to the European educational standard for this profession ( 52 ). Email and phone contact were used in order to monitor the adherence to the program.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stress is not so bad—cortisol level and psychological functioning after 8-week HIIT program during pregnancy: a randomized controlled trial

Wilczyńska,

Walczak-Kozłowska,

Santos-Rocha

et al. 2024

Front. Public Health

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BackgroundAmid extensive pregnancy exercise research, the impact of High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) on pregnant women’s mental health is underexplored. Despite exercise benefits, it can trigger stress responses like elevated cortisol. This study fills the gap by investigating correlations between hair cortisol levels, mental health, and HIIT effects in pregnant women.MethodsWe conducted a randomized control trial among 38 Caucasian women in uncomplicated, singleton pregnancy (age 31.11 ± 4.03 years, 21.82 ± 4.30 week of gestation; mean ± SD). The experimental group comprised 22 women engaged in an 8-week high-intensity interval training program (HIIT). The comparative group consisted of 16 pregnant women undergoing an 8-week educational program (EDU). Before and after the interventions, all women were evaluated using the following tools: Hair cortisol level measurements, Beck Depression Inventory – II for depressive symptoms assessment, Childbirth Attitudes Questionnaire for childbirth fear measurement, 12-item Short Form Health Survey to gage health-related quality of life, International Physical Activity Questionnaire for physical activity level estimation, and a Progressive maximal exercise test to evaluate maternal exercise capacity.ResultsThe key finding of our study reveals that women engaged in the HIIT intervention exhibited a distinct cortisol production pattern in contrast to the EDU group practicing standard moderate intensity physical activity. In the HIIT group, there was an increase in hair cortisol levels, while the EDU group showed a notable decrease. Remarkably, HIIT stimulated cortisol production without adversely impacting fear of childbirth and psychophysical condition during pregnancy. In fact, only the HIIT group showed a significant enhancement in mental health.ConclusionNo links were discovered between hair cortisol levels and the severity of depressive symptoms, psychophysical well-being, or fear of childbirth. Hence, based on our research, employing cortisol levels during pregnancy as an indicator of negative stress or depression risk appears unwarranted.

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“…The study program and procedures are described in details elsewhere [23,24,25]. The HIIT intervention was designed based on available data on prenatal HIIT published before [21,22,26,27].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The acute effect of maximal exercise test and chronic impact of an 8-week HIIT program on albuminuria and kidney function in the 2nd and 3rd trimester of physiological pregnancy.

Wołyniec,

Mieszkowski,

Kochanowicz

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Objectives. Physical activity is an important part of healthy lifestyle and should be continued during uncomplicated pregnancy. Several studies have suggested that most of the pregnant women had no contraindications to perform exercises. The aim of the study was to assess the acute effect of maximal exercise test and chronic impact of an 8-week HIIT program on albuminuria and kidney function in the 2nd and 3rd trimester of pregnancy. Methods. A group of 36 pregnant women was studied. At the beginning of the study, all participants had normal kidney function and albuminuria at rest. Nineteen women participated in an 8-week HIIT program and seventeen in an educational program (EDU group). Before and after the training or education programs, a progressive maximal exercise test on cycloergometer was conducted. Several biochemical measurements were performed to assess changes in kidney function. Results. After short exercise test, some unexpected findings were observed: the fractional excretion of urea and uric acid increased (FeUrea from 41.25 to 50.05%; FeUA from 7.18 to 8.04%) and serum uric acid decreased significantly (sUA from 3.35 to 3.28mg/dL). The HIIT program had no impact on kidney function at rest. In both groups, significant increases in eGFR and sUA were observed. An interesting observation was that uACR increased significantly only in EDU group. Conclusion. Changes in kidney function after short intensive exercise in pregnancy were typical for healthy subjects, but there was no negative impact on markers of renal hypoperfusion. The supervised HIIT program had no negative impact on kidney function.

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Exercise Selection and Adaptations During Pregnancy

Cited by 6 publications

References 102 publications

Effectiveness of Antenatal Exercises Program for the Management of Neck and Shoulder Pain

Effectiveness of Antenatal Exercises Program for the Management of Neck and Shoulder Pain

Stress is not so bad—cortisol level and psychological functioning after 8-week HIIT program during pregnancy: a randomized controlled trial

The acute effect of maximal exercise test and chronic impact of an 8-week HIIT program on albuminuria and kidney function in the 2nd and 3rd trimester of physiological pregnancy.

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