Joint Pain After Pregnancy

Shelly was due to deliver her bundle of joy anytime and her house had become something like a pregnancy camp with her bag ready to rush to the hospital anytime, thanks to her husband. Any slight discomfort of hers was enough to throw her husband into a hysteria. Soon the day came after a couple of false alarms and she delivered a lovely baby girl. It was a relief for Shelly to be back from the hospital. It was all good till she started experiencing joint pain.

Naturally the pain we are talking about here in Shelly's case and umpteen others is because of the tough time a woman's body goes through during pregnancy. Consequently, some of the quota of after effects does not get over even until after the baby is delivered! For all mothers-to-be therefore, you might want to know about joint pain and pregnancy!

Causes of Post Pregnancy Joint Pain

DHA Deficiency
As described earlier, a woman's body goes through a lot of strain during pregnancy. The body is busy nourishing and developing the baby. In this situation, there is a lot of possibility that the woman does not get all the essential nutrients. One of such nutrients is DHA. It is an essential fatty acid which is necessary for healthy joints as it lubricates them. All this helps in keeping them in good health. What happens is that the DHA in a woman's body is consumed to give nourishment to the baby. Naturally, its effects are felt afterwards when the body starts coming to normalcy.

Hormonal Changes
During pregnancy, a hormone relaxin is produced, resulting in relaxing and loosening of ligaments and tendons. This is specially the case with the hip bone and pelvic bone. That is a reason why hip pain is experienced by some women after delivery. Even though, the relaxin does its work, post partum pain is experienced as the body is coming back to the earlier condition causing pain and inflammation. If a woman already has a joint related condition like arthritis or the likes, it does not need a doctor, I think, to tell that the condition might exacerbate further.

Variations and Areas of Pain

Hip joint pain is one of the most common after effects of pregnancy. Along with that, knee pain and pelvic pain have also been observed. These are the obvious targets, but other susceptible areas includes pain in the neck, arm and wrist, post delivery. These are the result of handling the baby and the whole endeavor of having a baby takes its toll on the body of a woman.

Prevention

Prevention mostly involves doing yoga, swimming and indulging in exercises mainly targeted towards the areas which are most affected during and after pregnancy, like pilates exercises. Further massaging, physical therapy and heat and cold compress can prove to be effective in dealing with the problem. If at all there is an unusually severe pain, it is advised that a doctor should be contacted immediately. As far as diet is concerned, taking DHA supplements and fish oil in consultation with a general physician or a pediatrician can be useful. Drinking lots of water by making a conscious effort has also been said to help deal with post partum joint pain.

All in all, these symptoms normally fade away automatically as the time passes. Hence, there is nothing to worry about it. A bit of care and conscious efforts are required to have a smooth post pregnancy phase of life.

I sign off here, but you take good care of yourself! Till then, it is ciao from me!