5 Commonly Sore Muscles
Treatment Through Massage, Yoga and Exercise
A growing baby causes many physiological changes in a woman’s body that can lead to a variety of painful muscle aches during the nine-month pregnancy. As the uterus expands and changes, its center of gravity—abdominal muscles—are stretched and weakened, often resulting in straining of the lower back. The forward pull of the baby’s increasing weight also takes a toll on the lower back creating poor posture, which contributes to a domino effect of changes in the rest of the body. The good news is that you can make a positive difference in how you feel by understanding why the pain exists and learning what you can do to relieve the pain using exercise, yoga stretches, and massage.
Lordosis
Excessive Lordosis is a common condition that can develop during pregnancy where a woman’s lumbar spine is pulled out of alignment causing strain and discomfort. This condition sometimes continues postpartum until a woman is able to reach her pre-pregnancy body weight and prioritizes time to recondition her body.
Lower Lordosis is a condition resulting in extreme lower back curve caused by weight gain and the baby pulling forward. A growing uterus may also cause back pain if it’s pressing on a nerve. Pregnant women tend to slump their shoulders and arch their backs as their bellies grow, which puts more strain on the spine.
Exercise
Get down on your hands and knees in a four top position, arms under the shoulders and knees under hips. Inhale a light tilt up gazing at space between eyebrows, (anterior tilt). Exhale a strong tilt the opposite direction gazing towards the belly button (posterior tilt). This is known as the Cat/Cow Pose.
Massage
Have someone massage the PSIS (the two bony protuberances above the buttocks) Use circular frictions, thumb frictions, loose fist, or tennis balls.
Yoga
Crescent Moon
Trapezius Muscle Pain
Trapezius muscle pain is located above, between, and below the shoulder blades. These muscles get aggravated as the breasts enlarge. As they grow, the additional weight pulls forward causing weakness between the shoulder blades while tightening the chest muscles.
Exercise
Retraction of shoulder blades by squeezing blades together. Imagine pinching a finger or cracking a nut between the shoulder blades. Strengthening the middle “traps” helps to balance posture, strengthening the muscles that are weak and at the same time stretching out the chest muscles that are tight in the front of the body.
Grab an exercise band and bring it chest height. Pull the band to the sides of the room and feel the shoulder blades come together. For more intensity bring hands closer together.
Massage
Have your partner massage from spine to shoulder blades by making an Christmas tree with branches that angle out.
Yoga
Thread-the-Needle Stretch
Round Ligament Pain
Round Ligament Pain surrounds the uterus. As the uterus grows during pregnancy, the ligaments stretch and thicken to accommodate and support it. These changes can occasionally cause pain on one or both sides of the abdomen. This condition consists of short jabbing sensations that occur with a change in position, such as rolling over or getting out of bed, out of a chair, when coughing, or getting out of the bathtub. It may be a dull ache after a particularly active day when walking a lot or doing some other physical activity. Just sit down and try to relax when this pain strikes. Resting comfortably should alleviate your symptoms.
Exercise
Using a Stability Ball, try the “Hip Hiker.” First trap a the ball between a wall and your painful hip. Lift the foot slightly off the floor beneath the painful hip. Lift your hipbone on the painful side straight upward. Hold for 30 seconds. Keep the rest of your body erect while just moving your pelvis. Slowly release your pelvis and place your foot back down. Stand equally on two feet for a moment or two. You can also try flexing your knees toward your abdomen to get some relief or lying on your side with a pillow under your belly for support and another one between your legs. A warm bath may help, too. The good news is round ligament pain will disappear completely once you have given birth to your child!
Massage
Round ligaments should never be massaged. The best treatment is a comfortable bath.
Yoga
Deep Yoga Squat
Piriformis-Deep Glute Muscle Pain
Piriformis-Deep Glute Muscle Pain is a persistent, severe, radiating sensation that extends from the sacrum to the hip joint over the gluteal region and posterior portion or the upper leg. The involved hip may present with excessive external rotation when lying in a supine position. This is due to the shortened piriformis muscle. A note to remember is that the sciatic nerve passes under or through this muscle and can become compressed or entrapped causing leg pain due to gait disturbances and poor posture or sitting habits. Running or walking with your toes pointed out is caused when pregnant because inner thighs are weaker than the stronger outer thighs.
Exercise
Strengthening and conditioning the muscles of the hips, buttocks and lower back will also help to prevent piriformis syndrome. To keep your muscles and tendons flexible and supple, it is important to undertake a structured stretching routine.
Massage
Ask your partner to massage glutes with a loose fist and press and hold. Or go to a gym or rehab center if they have rolling styrafoam pins that one can roll back and forth on to massage out this tight deep glute muscle.
Yoga
Pigeon Carrier Pose