We often talk about musculoskeletal pain — pain that occurs in the bones, joints, and other soft tissues such as muscles, cartilage, tendons, and ligaments — that women can experience during pregnancy. This includes discomfort in the lower back and hips, pelvic girdle pain, leg cramps, and more. But for some, musculoskeletal pain begins or extends into the time period following childbirth, making it important to find a solution.
Musculoskeletal Pain Common After Giving Birth
The first thing to understand if you are experiencing musculoskeletal pain after giving birth is that you are not alone. “Pain after childbirth is unfortunately a very common experience for many women,” explains Sarah Radabaugh, DC, DABCP, vice president of the American Chiropractic Association (ACA) Council on Women’s Health, who practices in Worland and Thermopolis, Wyo.
A systematic review that examined 16 studies related to musculoskeletal pain during and after pregnancy reports that 2% to 75% of women may experience pain up to three years postpartum. “The most common musculoskeletal issues that women experience after childbirth are pelvic and low back pain, and upper back and neck pain,” says Dr. Radabaugh.
What Causes Pain After Childbirth?
“No matter how birth happens, it’s a monumental physical event,” says Dr. Radabaugh. The body experiences drastic changes during both pregnancy and childbirth, which is followed by taking care of a baby 24/7.
“Caring for a baby is incredibly physically demanding,” she continues, “with hours of holding and feeding and being in uncomfortable positions, not to mention lack of normal sleep.” Together, these compound the demands on the body, which can lead to pain.
Most Important Strategy for Preventing Postpartum Pain
You may expect that guidelines for properly carrying, holding, and feeding a baby would be most beneficial for preventing musculoskeletal pain after childbirth. While these are all important, there is one strategy that Dr. Radabaugh stresses is even more critical and, yet, severely lacking in our society: postpartum support.
“In an ideal world, a woman after birth is fully supported by family and community,” she says, “and can spend a few weeks healing, slowly introducing gentle movement, and bonding with her baby, while others handle daily tasks of feeding and caring for the mother and family. The more support that can be lined up before birth, the better for mother and baby.”
How Chiropractic Can Help
Another strategy for dealing with pain in your muscles and joints after giving birth is chiropractic care. “Doctors of chiropractic can use gentle, pregnancy-safe techniques to restore normal joint movement and solve muscle imbalances,” explains Dr. Radabaugh.
If you’ve not yet delivered, starting chiropractic now can help prevent pain after childbirth. After delivery, a chiropractor can help slowly introduce you to safe, supported movement through proper breathing and gentle exercises. They can also guide you in proper body positioning when caring for and feeding your newborn, since this often involves being in a curled-forward position.
“Doctors of chiropractic can be the vital missing piece of the healthcare system for women,” says Dr. Radabaugh, “as standard care in the U.S.A. often dictates that the postpartum woman has no medical visits until six weeks postpartum.”
Easing Pain at Home
There are several things you can also do at home to help ease or prevent postpartum musculoskeletal pain. Dr. Radabaugh shares that they include:
- Engaging in diaphragmatic breathing, which involves taking long, deep breaths where the belly rises when you inhale and falls when you exhale.
- Taking gentle walks outside. There’s another benefit of walking after childbirth: research indicates that it may help ease postpartum depression.
- Using a comfortable chair with low back support and a footrest during feeding sessions, along with placing several pillows under the baby.
- Doing slow, gentle spine stretches to help combat being constantly curled forward. Your chiropractor can provide a list of safe stretches.
Will musculoskeletal pain after childbirth go away on its own? It may or may not. In cases where it doesn’t resolve itself, the untreated pain can become long-lasting. “In my years of practice, I’ve seen countless women who present to me as a new patient with a complaint of low back or upper back pain that started years ago, after childbirth,” says Dr. Radabaugh. “I so wish these women had sought chiropractic care postpartum, rather than waiting so many years. It’s never too late, but it’s so much easier to address issues right away after birth.”
When to See a Chiropractor
Fortunately, you can seek relief right away. “I tell my patients that it’s safe to be adjusted immediately after birth if something is bothering them at that time,” says Dr. Radabaugh. “But if they’re feeling well, I generally recommend staying home for 2 weeks and coming in around 2-4 weeks for their first postpartum chiropractic visit.”
Reviewed by the ACA Editorial Advisory Board. This information is for educational purposes. It is not a replacement for treatment or consultation with a healthcare professional. If you have specific questions, contact your doctor of chiropractic. To find an ACA chiropractor near you, click here.
Written by Christina DeBusk, a freelance contributor to Hands Down Better.
