Tips to Relieve Low Back Pain as a New Mom
Low back pain seems like it just comes along with motherhood. It often gets dismissed when complained about because hey! - you had a kid! We, as humans, are products of our environment. When you are caring for young children, the demands on your body change. Lifting, carrying, sitting for prolonged periods, holding kids on your hip, carrying a carseat, and more. If you are amongst the greater population that experiences back pain as a new mother, here are some tips that can help.
KEEP THE LEVER SHORT.
When you pick up your child, keep them close to you vs. extending your arms out in front.
When you change their diaper, do it on an elevated surface - not bent over the floor or ottoman. If the surface is lower, kneel down to meet them.
When you pick them from the bassinet or bathtub, get your body as close to them as possible.
AIM TO KEEP RIBCAGE OVER PELVIS WHEN CARRYING YOUR CHILD.
Avoid the butt tuck! I’ve been there in the early morning hours trying to sway and bounce my child back to sleep. It’s hard when you’re doing it for prolonged time. But remember what I mentioned above, we are products of our environment. If we constantly take the lean back position when holding them, that is going to place more load on the low back.
Think about shifting your weight out of your heels and into your midfoot. Bring the ribcage to stack over the pelvis instead of hanging back behind the tailbone.
USE YOUR LEGS WHEN YOU CAN.
Your hip and leg muscles are big because they are the power producers. They are designed to squat to the floor to pick things up, lunge from the floor with baby in tow, etc. I know life doesn’t always set us up for the legs to have advantage (like picking a baby up from a crib), but we should use them as much as we can.
ADDRESS AREAS OF TIGHTNESS.
When it comes to the lower back, if the areas above and below are restricted, the lower back will overwork. In this case, we are looking at the thoracic spine and the hips.
It’s a good idea to include some thoracic mobility work: open books, quadruped rotation, thoracic cat cow, are a few of my favorites. For the hips, include some 90/90 internal and external rotation, hip flexor stretching, hip shifts, and adductor rockbacks.
WORK IN SOME CORE STABILITY EXERCISES.
By using the word stability doesn’t mean I’m inferring anything is “unstable” - we want to work on exercises that promote midline stability! This means the exercise helps train the core to hold a midline/neutral position even when loaded or offset. This is great for training to withstand some of those long hours of carrying and holding.
Some of my favorites are a pallof press, farmer’s carry, and plank pull through.
BLOW BEFORE YOU GO.
Exhaling as we lift or pick up our children (especially as they start to weigh more) is a great way to tap into the deep core and improve pressure management when loading the body. As we exhale in preparation for the load, it’s natural for the body to recruit the deep abdominals to turn on, increasing the support in the midsection.
These are all little strategies that can make a big difference cumulatively. We definitely don’t want to normalize low back pain with motherhood. If you struggle with this, it is always a good idea to get a PT assessment and an individualized treatment program!
