Low back pain after pregnancy

Dear Ask The Doctor: I am 21 yrs old,in my post pregnancy period.i have a son 8 weeks old.i have been experiencing lower back pain throughout my pregnancy,,but now it has worsened.i feel lot of pain only towards left,the pain gradually spreads towards my left leg, left arm shoulder an left side of my neck, I'm not sure what it is,plz help

Dear Shadaan: You are possibly experiencing a Mechanical low back pain (LBP)  most likely caused by the 9 months that you carry your baby, which was an extra weight for you, straining your lumbar spine and muscles. Mechanical low back pain is the second most common reason for seeing a physician in the United States. Of the US population, 85% will experience an episode of mechanical LBP at some point during their lifetime. Fortunately, the LBP resolves for the vast majority within some weeks with the following conservative measures: a physical therapy program aimed to control the pain and the inflammatory process and teach you flexion and extension exercises of the spine to reduce the nerve tension, these exercises will improve the muscular strength and endurance of your lumbar muscles. Also is very important to keep a good posture at all times and practice low-impact activities such as swimming, walking, and bicycling, these can increase overall fitness without straining your low back. While standing, keep your head up and stomach pulled in. If you are required to stand for long periods of time, you should have a small stool on which to rest one foot at a time. Do not wear high heels and keep your weight under control. The use of anti-inflammatory medication (i.e.: “motrin”, “advil”, “aleve”) can be beneficial to manage the pain if you are not lactating. Nearly everyone improves within a month following these conservative measures if it is a mechanical back pain. Otherwise, if the back pain persists for more than 2 months, in despite of the above mentioned measures, the evaluation by a physician to rule out other possible causes than just mechanic or postural is recommended.

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