How to use Pilates to help back pain when you’re standing during pregnancy.

Here are some of my best tips for standing more comfortably when you’re pregnant

I’ve been a pre and post natal fitness and Pilates expert for over 18 years, so I’ve seen hundreds of women through their pregnancies.

During that time I’ve had two pregnancies of my own, I’ve learned a lot, through formal training, collaborations with other experts in the field of pre and post natal wellness and experience with my own clients.

These little nuggets of information can really make a difference to my class participants.

Posture and back pain

During pregnancy your tummy is going to get bigger. What this tends to do is pull your tailbone outwards so you get an arch in the lower back. It also tends to bring the ribs forwards.

If you’re standing for any length of time you can experience a lot of pressure down on the pelvis and the pelvic floor muscles. You can also experience back pain in the lower back area and around the backs of your hips. This tends to feel like a generalised lower back pain that may feel stiffer in the morning and worsen again during lengthy periods of standing or walking.

Hormones and back pain  

During pregnancy you’ve got a big change in your normal hormone balance swimming around your body. Some are responsible for enabling your body to stretch and become more malleable to accommodate your changing shape and your changes in blood volume. You also need a more supple pelvis to enable a baby’s head to exit through the birth canal. These hormone changes can impact your joints and spine. If your ligaments are a little bit slack and they’ve got this heavy weight bearing down it’s putting a lot of pressure on the pelvic floor, on those ligaments and on your back. So not only do you have changes to your posture, body composition and a heavy weight bearing down on your pelvis but it’s all happening on a less stable structure than the one you’re used to!

How do we fix pregnancy back pain?

We can’t solve it completely but awareness is key. If you are standing for a long time, one thing you can do to help your back is to move, so you can allow that weight to transfer from side to side. You’ll probably find yourself doing it naturally but it’s worth remembering if you start to feel that back ache creeping up. 

The other thing that you can do is think about the position of your pelvis.

When you stand, bend your knees slightly and try to feel your tailbone dropping down to your heels and your hips gently lifting up to your ribs. It takes the pressure off your pelvis and you carry your bump a little more centrally.

You can also feel like you’re drawing the front of your ribs towards the back of your body. That’s going to stop your ribs thrusting forwards and that bottom sticking out.

I ask my ladies in class to imagine hips and ribs are connected by a little piece of string so they can’t come apart. So think, your tail is hanging down, your ribs are drawing back and just feel the pressure coming off the pelvic floor and off the front of the pelvis.

If your lower back is really tender, bring your feet a bit wider and just tuck your pelvis under a little bit more. Go beyond what I’d call a neutral position to try and take the weight off your back, off your pelvis and open up the spine a little bit.

If you’ve got any questions please do get in touch. There are some 10 minute sessions I’ve created which you may find useful to do to stay on top of your back pain.

Red flags: When does back pain need medical help? 

It’s always worth mentioning back pain to your doctor or midwife, especially if it’s something that’s affecting your sleep and/or daily life. They may be able to refer on to a physiotherapist.

If back pain suddenly becomes more persistent or severe, contact your medical team.

Is it okay to exercise when you’ve got back pain during pregnancy?

Many of my pregnant clients find Pilates classes make a big difference to their back pain. During classes I’m able to focus more on some of the above tricks but from variety of different positions. I adapt Pilates exercises for pregnancy to create classes where one of the specific focuses is easing back pain for my participants.

Checklist for managing back pain during pregnancy 

1. Try to move if you’re standing for long periods of time.
2. Try a relaxing class like Pilates to help with back pain and postural changes.
3. Always tell your midwife or GP about your back pain symptoms.