Posture and low back pain during pregnancy — 3D study

Abstract

Objectives: Back pain is a common complaint of pregnant women. The posture, curvatures of the spine and the center of gravity changes are considered as the mechanisms leading to pain. The study aimed to assess spinal curvatures and static postural characteristics with three-dimensional surface topography and search for relationships with the occurrence of back pain complaints among pregnant women. Material and methods:The study was conducted from December 2012 to February 2014. Patients referred from University Clinic of Gynecology and Obstetrics were examined outpatient at the Posture Study Unit of Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology. Sixty-five women at 4-39 weeks of pregnancy were assessed and surveyed with Oswestry Disability Index; posture was evaluated using surface topography. Results:The study confirmed that difficulties in sitting and standing are significant in the third trimester of the pregnancy. The overall tendency for significant lumbar curvature changes in pregnant women was not confirmed. Major changes in sagittal trunk inclination in relation to the plumb line were not observed in the study group. Conclusions:The issue regarding how the pregnancy causes changes in spinal curvature and posture remains open for further studies. Presented method of 3D surface topography can reveal postural changes, but that requires several exams of each subject and strict follow-up of the series of cases.

Impact of lumbopelvic pain on postural balance during sit-to-stand activity in pregnant women: a cross-sectional study

“…All participants with LPP complaints reported some level of disability (minimal, moderate or severe) detected by this instrument. The majority of pregnant women reported minimal and moderate disability, as observed in the studies by Madeira et al (2013) and Sousa et al [12,15]. Although the participants in this study did not report complete inability to perform daily activities to the detriment of the LPP complaint, some level of partial and temporary limitations were found in pregnant women.…”

“…In this context, lumbopelvic pain (LPP) represents a major problem often faced by many pregnant women [13]. Previous studies report that pain complaints may be of sufficient intensity and duration to affect the quality of life of the pregnant woman, able to interfere in performing daily activities such as sit-to-stand and walking, in addition to compromising their performance at work [13][14][15].…”

“…During pregnancy, LPP is one of the most common, serious and disabling complaints [13,14]. Its prevalence is greater than 50% in pregnant women [7,15], and it can have great impact on the quality of life of pregnant women [15,16]. Currently, it is suggested that the LPP pathophysiology involves a complex interrelationship between the proprioceptive neuromuscular and bone unit, based on the concept of lumbopelvic stabilization.…”

The Biomechanics of Pregnancy: A Systematic Review

“…However, Betsch et al [25] found that there was no change in lordotic angle during pregnancy but an increase in kyphosis was observed both in the developing pregnancy and when comparing pregnancy results to postpartum results. Another study observed no changes in either kyphosis or lordosis angles throughout pregnancy [26]. Across these studies, there is an obvious conflict between findings, while some participants show deviations from the overall findings.…”

“…Several studies also assess the association of spinal curvature with pain levels in pregnancy [21,22,[24][25][26]34], reporting that levels of low back pain increase with the developing pregnancy [4]. It is concluded that 95% of participants experienced LBP, which correlates with increased lordosis [24].…”