Pregnancy Related Back Pain Not Linked to Aerobic Fitness

A new study suggests that that poorer physical conditioning is not a cause, but rather a consequence, of pregnancy related back pain.

Researchers at Uppsala University (Sweden) conducted a longitudinal cohort study among women in early pregnancy who attended eight maternal health centers in the city of Örebro, and two each in the municipalities of Kumla and Hallsberg, for a total study population of 520 women. The women were examined regarding estimated peak oxygen uptake by cycle ergometer test in early pregnancy, reported physical activity prior to pregnancy, basic characteristics, back pain during pregnancy, and back pain postpartum.

The results showed that back pain during pregnancy was reported by nearly 80% of the women; at the postpartum appointment, this prevalence was reduced to 40%. A significant inverse association was found between estimated peak oxygen uptake and back pain intensity during pregnancy, adjusted for physical activity, back pain before present pregnancy, previous deliveries, age, and weight. A direct association was found between back pain intensity during pregnancy and post partum. The study was published in the April 17, 2012, issue of BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth.

“Oxygen uptake and physical activity in early pregnancy displayed no influence on the onset of subsequent back pain during or after pregnancy, where the time sequence support the hypothesis that poorer physical deconditioning is not a cause but a consequence of the back pain condition,” concluded lead author Eva Thorell, PhD, M.Pharm.Sci and Per Kristiansson, MD, PhD, of the department of public health and caring sciences. “The mechanism for the attenuating effect of increased oxygen uptake on back pain intensity is uncertain.”

During pregnancy prevalence rates of 61%-88% of lower back pain is reported, when compared with one-year prevalence of back pain (irrespective of onset) among women of the same age. The pregnancy related back pain varies from mild discomfort to severely debilitating pain of several months' duration. In most women, the back pain disappears during the first six months after delivery. However, a fairly high proportion still experience low back pain that seriously interferes with daily activities two years after childbirth.

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