Back pain advice for all parents
If you already suffer from back pain and are about to welcome a new baby and perhaps have younger children too, the back pain advice is to remember to take care of your back.
The British Chiropractic Association (BCA) has found that the strain of lifting and carrying babies and toddlers can cause severe pain to parents who already have back or neck pain.
Our team of chiropractors at Luck’s Yard Clinic see many new parents and their babies and can offer treatment and advice to keep your backs happy!
Nearly half of new parents found that their pain increased after having children, with 57% of women experiencing new aches and pains compared to 27% of men.
It appears that many sufferers do not consider that their pain may become worse by constant bending over such as placing babies in and out of cots and changing nappies. Carrying babies in one arm with a heavy changing back slung over one shoulder can exacerbate this situation.
BCA chiropractor, Tim Hutchful, said: “We understand new parents often may not see their own health as a priority but, it’s important they are aware of the toll that that back pain can have, and take simple steps to ensure their back and neck health doesn’t suffer.”
More than two thirds of parents did not receive any advice on how to look after their backs after having a child and were not made aware that situations such as disturbed sleep could also contribute to back and neck pain.
Tone Tellefsen Hughes from Luck’s Yard Clinic in Milford says: “it is absolutely crucial for new parents to be aware of the extra stresses on the body after having a new baby. Putting babies in and out of car seats and then into buggies require the body to contort into all sorts of unnatural positions – and yet we do these automatically without taking precautions.”
She goes on to advise: “simple strategies such as learning how to lift without strain on the lower back, stretching and strengthening exercises can make all the difference. When you are feeding your baby, either by breast or bottle, make sure you are sitting comfortably with good support. Walking to settle your baby can also cause a huge amount of strain on the lower lumbar region – a sleeping baby can be surprisingly heavy”.
Is pushing a buggy or pram causing you a pain in the back? Chiropractic, physiotherapy and massage can help
We love welcoming families with babies and toddlers to Luck’s Yard Clinic and they often arrive in a variety of prams and buggies pushed by parents and grandparents.
But having to push a baby, toddler or small child in a variety of different prams, strollers, double buggies etc can have a big impact on the health of your back, arms, shoulders and wrists.
How often do you see a parent/carer practically bent double trying to push a buggy, containing not only a baby but also a wriggling toddler and goodness knows how much shopping crammed into the bottom bit?
These days buggies seem to have every attachment under the sun, supposedly to make your life easier so you can carry everything including the kitchen sink, but take a moment to stop and think about all that extra weight that you are having to push.
Although new buggies have adjustable handles, if you are reusing an older model you may find yourself having to bend over and hold the handle with one hand because it is too low to comfortably steer with two hands.
So here is some simple advice to try and avoid aches and pains for all of those people who find themselves pushing their small charges around and about.
Wrist pain
New parents and families are not only having to get used to manoevuring a new mode of transport for their precious bundle but also holding that little one when feeding, comforting, rocking and lots of cuddling!
Take a look at your wrists – your hands may be at an angle to the wrist from anywhere between 45°– 90° which is putting your wrist under a lot of pressure. There should be no creases in your wrist so try to adjust it so there is a straight line running down your arm through to your hands.
Lower back pain
Being a new parent does NOT mean you have to put up with permanent back pain! For mums, being pregnant will already have put pressure on your lower back and pelvis so it is really important to look after your back. Those little bundles get heavy very quickly and you will find yourself constantly bending from the waist to pick up baby or whatever toy has been thrown out of the pram – a favourite game that will induce gales of laughter from baby and you acting like a yoyo!
So, what to do to protect your back when pushing buggies? No more head down, bum pushed out when heading up hill. Try to stay standing tall, keep your hips close to the pram and activate your glutes – you will feel this in your bum rather than lower back. This will really help protect your back and also be a nice workout for your derriere. Suitable exercises to help find your glutes include the oyster, lunges and squats.
A good idea would be to get a personal trainer to guide you through some exercises so you know you are doing them right.
Neck and shoulder pain
When choosing a pram make sure you get one with an adjustable handle – really important for parents of different heights.
You should be aiming to have your hands just above hip height. So take a little time before you start pushing – chest up and out, shoulders down (detach them from your ears – a common position for them to be when you are tired, stressed and try to juggle life with a new addition to the family.)
Readjust the handle every time if necessary to make sure you are feeling comfortable.
An invaluable exercise several times a day is to roll your shoulders and bring the shoulder blades down and ‘re-set’ your default position (looking in a mirror or shop window can really help).
If you are a new parent you have many years ahead of pushing your child around so start off with good intentions and get the position right to protect yourself so you can walk tall!
Our clinic app which is full of useful information, stretches and exercises can be downloaded from your App store by searching for LUCKSYARDCLINIC.
Remember we offer several different therapies at Luck’s Yard Clinic including Chiropractic, Physiotherapy and Massage.
You can book an appointment with our Reception team on 01483 527945 or book online at https://www.lucksyardclinic.com/lucks-yard-online-appointment-booking/
The Luck’s Yard app – free from your app store: search for LUCKSYARDCLINIC – demonstrates lots of easy techniques to make sure you look after your back when looking after your little one.
For more information call Reception on 01483 527945 or visit our website: www.lucksyardclinic.com.
The BCA also has a number of simple tips current and future parents to ease the strain at: www.chiropractic-uk.co.uk/straightenup.
