Getting Fit Won’t Reduce Back Pain, but It Couldn’t Hurt
Obie Editorial Team
Women who have been pregnant before tend to experience more lower back pain with their second pregnancy. Additionally, women who have taken birth control prior to conception also report back pain more frequently. Physically demanding work and high stress levels have also been known increase levels of lower back pain in women who are pregnant. As research narrows down the potential causes for this pain, some women have started wondering if their physical fitness might be associated with the level of back pain they experience.
There has always been some speculation that, when pregnant, your physical fitness level might have an effect on how much of lower back pain you will experience. It would make sense that stronger, more fit women will not be in as much physical pain as their bodies begin adjusting to take on the extra weight. However, a recent study determined that your physical fitness level a when bearing a child is not linked to the back pain you experiences Women who were more physically fit prior to pregnancy experienced the same frequency of back pain as those who were less so. Interestingly enough, researchers did note strong evidence that physically fit women experienced back pain at a lower intensity. While this finding was not part of the study and cannot be considered a final conclusion, fitness prior to pregnancy just might lessen the intensity of your back pain.
However, the direct cause of lower back pain during pregnancy is still unknown, so unfortunately a good preventative technique has yet to be determined. While it might not eliminate back pain, physical fitness prior to pregnancy does have its benefits. It can minimize your stretch marks, enhance your circulation and improve calcium absorption. Until the best way to prevent back pan is discovered, staying calm, fit and healthy are still the best ways to ensure as smooth a pregnancy and delivery as possible.
Source: Eva Thorell , Per Kristiansson: ‘Pregnancy related back pain, is it related to aerobic fitness? A longitudinal cohort study’, BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, November 2012