It is always important to do back strengthening exercises for pregnancy. You are experiencing a pregnant state with pain in your back.
But you do not know how to relieve that painful feeling and keep your baby inside. Also, deciding which exercise is good or bad confuses you a lot.
If you find yourself pregnant and these problems trouble you, don’t worry. We can empathize with pregnant women and share our best tips on doing a safe and effective exercise program during pregnancy.
If you don’t want to bear the pain or any risk of injury anymore, follow our tips below and get started!
Importance Of Back Strengthening Exercises For Pregnancy
Causes Of Back Pain During Pregnancy
When women go through pregnancy, the ligament of their entire body becomes softer and softer. Besides, it starts stretching to prepare for the labor during that time.
This process based on pregnancy complications might cause back pain and pelvic pain because it strains both the pelvis and lower back joints.
Common Treatments
There are many methods applied to make the back pain milder. Here are some of them.
- Exercise program and physical activities: Exercise during pregnancy can help strengthen the muscles and boost the body’s flexibility. As a consequence, the stress against your spine could decrease.
- Cold and heat: This method needs the agreement of your doctors. You put a cold bag of ice on the painful body part for around 20 minutes per day (do it several times daily). You do the same treatment after 2-3 days per week (but with a heating pad).
- Posture improvement: Applying the proper postures when sleeping, sitting, and working is always a good move. As for sleeping, you lie on your side. A pillow between the knees will help take the stress off the back.
Back Strengthening Exercise
There are many methods that experts/health care providers have suggested as the solution to back pain treatment.
However, the most effective approach is to do a back-strengthening exercise per day.
It is the optimal option that can help pregnant mothers relieve their pain gradually every day and have healthy pregnancies.
Also, regular practice makes the birth-giving process better and much easier.
Some exercise recommendations are on the top of preference because of their fast and high treatment efficiency.
It would help if you only chose to do daily exercise or physical activities (daily activities) without any serious symptoms. They will try to improve the situation little and little day by day.
In case you find it difficult to try them yourselves, let’s go to the Chiropractor. Experts there can help you.
Benefits of Back Strengthening Exercises For Pregnancy
Relieving Pain
Adding moderate exercise to the daily routine is indeed a natural elixir for pain in pregnancy. In other words, it activates endorphins, which are the chemicals helping the brain feel good to relieve your painful feeling.
Pregnant low back pain is not out of the steam because exercise can strengthen your muscles, improve postures, and make you feel better.
Body Preparing For The Birth-Giving Process
A safe birth delivery needs strength along with a healthy heart. So, exercises can help you achieve it.
During pregnancy, doing exercises would be better for your labor.
Thanks to them, you can learn about the effective ways to control breathing, empower abdominal muscles, and aid in pain relief. Better endurance can also come as big support while undergoing lengthy labor.
Having A Faster Process Of Losing Pregnancy Weight
It is a good sign to do exercises before you become pregnant. Your baby keeps growing inside and gives you weight gain.
This practice helps fasten your body’s bounce-back process after pregnancy. Safe and modified workouts will contribute a lot to maintaining your healthy weight.
Reducing The Risk Related To Complications
According to the result of some studies, doing exercises while expecting could lower the risk of gestational diabetes and preeclampsia.
11 Back Strengthening Exercises For Pregnancy
Arm and Leg Raises – Good for Lower Back
- At the starting position, maintain a straight spine while kneeling on your hands and knees.
- Keep your pelvis stable by doing a pelvic tilt, and then raise both your right arm and left leg in a straight line with your spine.
- Resume and then slowly lower your arm and leg.
- Repeat the posture with the other arm and leg. You could lower the difficulty of the exercise by raising only the leg or arm separately if you find it hard to maintain your balance in this position.
Kegels – Good for Lower Back
Assuming that you want to do pregnancy stretches in bed, Kegel’s spring up as ideal practice for the pelvic floor muscles.
It would help to envision that you are pulling the vaginal muscles up toward your baby’s comfortable position.
The tightening feeling of your thigh muscles, buttocks, and abdominal muscles could not be obvious as you do the kegel exercises.
Wall Squats – Good for Lower Back
- Follow the standing posture as the starting position: your head, right/left shoulder, and back opposite the wall, your feet about 1-2 feet away from it.
- Put the lower back on the wall and then squats like the half-sitting posture. At the same time, set the knees at a 90-degree angle.
- Repeat slowly; make sure not to keep your buttocks and back far from the wall. It is one of the optimal lower back strengthening exercises for pregnancy.
Cat Stretch – Good for Upper Back
This is among the pregnancy back exercises second trimester.
- Flatten the back first to stretch the entire one.
- Breathe in and slowly bend your back at the same time.
- Hold the posture for 5 seconds before exhaling, and back to the position in which you get started.
- Repeat it five times. Soon, you will understand why it is a useful strengthening exercise for back pain during pregnancy.
Heel Sits – Good for Lower Back
You can stretch your buttocks and lower back by positioning your body on your knees and hands. Next, let your hands stretch ahead and slowly bend over to your heels.
Do not forget to place the knees to keep your baby safe. It will help if you hold it for around half a minute.
Bending Forward Position – Good for Upper Back
- Bend your body in the forward direction slowly while sitting on a sturdy chair.
- Let your arms be comfortable and stretch them downwards.
- Rest for five seconds before sitting back up with your spine maintaining vertical.
- Repeat that position five times. It is suitable if you need a combination of core and back exercises during pregnancy.
Trunk Twist – Good for Upper Back
- Move to stretch the upper back.
- Sit down and keep your legs free.
- Cross your body with the left arm and let the right one touch the floor for support beside you.
- Twist the torso towards the right side and, at the same time, look over the shoulder.
- Pause the posture for 10 seconds before repeating with the other body side.
Back & Shoulder Presses – Good for Lower Back
- Maintain the back and shoulder against the wall.
- Keep your feet around 10 inches from the wall.
- Put the lower back on the wall. Maintain this posture in 10 seconds. Redo this exercise for upper back pain in pregnancy 10 times.
Arm Raises
- First, position yourself on your hands and knees.
- Raise and stretch the right arm forwards and maintain your flat back.
- Hold this position for seconds before lowering it backward.
- Take 10 times on one side. Then, redo the same for the other side. You also can add a weighted wristband or a 2-pound dumbbell in each hand for extra weight if it is too easy for you.
Overhead Pulling-down Position – Good for Lower and Middle Back
- Start by placing your arms above the head.
- Envision you holding the barbell. At the same time, you pull the arms down until your hands stretch to the shoulder height.
- Return to the beginning position when that posture is done.
- Take three sets with 10-15 reps for each. You also can hold on each hand a 2-pound dumbbell for more challenges.
Upright Row – Good for Upper Back
- Make sure your feet are standing with the width equaling your shoulder apart, and the arms are free at both sides.
- Face your palms towards the back, pull the elbows up then out till both of them get the height of your shoulder.
- Move to the position in which you start the exercise.
- Take 10-15 times and complete three sets. To level up the game, a 2-pound dumbbell for each hand will help.
Tips For Back Strengthening Exercises
It would help if you asked for advice from doctors about trying the method of doing exercises during pregnancy.
Next, it is time to consider these tips mentioned below to have effective and safe workouts.
- Don’t worry if you’ve stayed inactive. You can start with (even minutes) for each exercise daily. It would be better to set a bigger goal by working out 30 minutes/day for five days/week.
- Wear a good supportive bra inside the loose clothes.
- Drink a lot of water in all phases of every workout.
- Feel the body. Don’t exceed your limitation when you find problems such as dizziness, short breath, and fatigue.
- Avoid doing exercises outdoors in the hot weather. You should choose a space indoors with an air-conditioner, instead.
- Skip the workout when you have a high fever.
- Stay away from the exercises influencing your back after a trimester.
- Skip the workouts that require you to bounce, leap, or suddenly change direction.
- Ask your health care providers for advice when you detect your body with several symptoms while exercising. They include vaginal bleeding, chest pain, uterine contractions, or racing heartbeat.
Conclusion
How to do the strengthening exercise for back pain during pregnancy is a hard question that might make you confused at the beginning.
But don’t worry; the tips and exercise routines we’ve listed above will help you get started easily and make your process more effective.
Hope you enjoy our suggestions of back strengthening exercises for pregnancy!
