I recently had a case of pelvic/lower back pain during pregnancy at my San Diego office that had me wanting to write a post. This woman was having a difficult pregnancy, so even fairly late term she was coming in for acupuncture. The pain was making sitting and working very difficult, as well as walking. She needed to keep walking to help manage her blood sugar, but the walking made the pain increase.
Lower back pain during pregnancy usually strikes during the third trimester, when the body is really straining to accommodate the growing baby. It is often felt around the sacral area, into the hips. Unlike your average back pain, which may be cause by a herniated disc, or a pinched nerve, pregnancy back pain is often a result of hormones that cause the ligaments that hold the pelvis together to loosen. This aides in childbirth, but also looses a major structure that is supporting the spine, and the rest of the body . With the ligaments loose, the muscles will kick in and tighten to help support things- resulting in spasm.
Fortunately, this type of back pain responds even better then ordinary back pain, so even a severe case can clear up with a little persistence. In the case of my patient, she needed to come in twice weekly for a coupe weeks, but when she did, she really saw results. Other cases I have cleared up within 1-3 treatments.
How are these treatments administered? We usually will have the patient laying on their sides with a pillow between their knees. The skin of the sacral and hip areas are not very sensitive, so the treatments are usually very comfortable, and you never even need see the needles! And yes it is very, very safe.
Many women know about acupuncture for morning sickness, but do not know how acupuncture can help them during later pregnancy. As a result, they may needlessly suffer with a lot of pain. If you would like more information you can read this article about treatment, or to schedule an appointment please call my San Diego office. I’d love to help.