13 Natural Remedies for Pregnancy Back Pain

Women experience pregnancy back pain for a variety of reasons. Some point to an increase in the hormone relaxin, which allows for ligaments and joints to relax in preparation for birth. Others blame the increase in weight coupled with the altered center of gravity. And a few assign responsibility to a culture that promotes lack of movement and poor posture.

In this post we will dive in and discuss the causes and a variety of natural remedies for pregnancy back pain. Let’s get started!

On This Page

10 minute read

↓Move Smart, Rest Smart
↓Exercise to Relieve Back Pain
↓Stretching
↓Foam Roller
↓Kinesiology Tape
↓A Note About Tiger Balm and Pregnancy
↓Heat
↓Chiropractic Care
↓Physical/Physio Therapy
↓Massage Therapy
↓Acupuncture
↓Backache and Preterm Labor

Natural Remedies for Pregnancy Back Pain

Move Smart, Rest Smart

One reason women experience pregnancy back pain is because our culture does a lot of sitting or standing but very little of the kind of movement that keeps us healthy and strong. With the added stress of pregnancy, our atrophied bodies balk and pain is the result.

To remedy the underlying issue, I recommend two resources.

Nutritious Movement’s Daily Movement

In this DVD you will learn how to move, improve posture and strengthen the body so that pregnancy back pain is a thing of the past. This DVD is for anyBODY – pregnant or not. I especially enjoyed the Healthy Pelvis DVD as part of my regimen to heal my Diastasis Recti.

Amazon link to Daily Movement ——> http://amzn.to/2odrKEG

3 Spinning Babies’ Daily Essentials DVD

The Spinning Babies’ Daily Essential DVD is specifically designed for pregnant women in order to have a comfortable pregnancy and easier birth.

The Daily Essentials DVD teaches pregnant women how to move AND rest smart which encourages body balance and alignment. When a woman’s body is balanced and aligned birth is generally more straightforward.

Also included is a Blooma gentle yoga flow. I highly recommend this resource!

Exercise to Relieve Back Pain

Another effective remedy for pregnancy back pain is exercise. Exercise has MANY benefits besides ridding a woman of pain during pregnancy, so it’s like killing 10,000 birds with one stone.

The following are some great ideas for gentle pregnancy exercise. Of course, talk with your care provider to make sure that a particular exercise is the right choice for you and your baby.

• Squatting (It can often relieve back pain almost instantly – it’s amazing!)
• Swimming
• Walking (of course, with good posture… the above mentioned Daily Essential’s DVD will teach you how to do this)
• Yoga (here’s one of many great options)

Stretching

Stretching the whole body, not just the back, is an excellent remedy for pregnancy back pain. It can be extremely helpful to implement a quick yet effective stretching routine every morning after getting out of bed.

TIP:  The Daily Essentials DVD mentioned above has great instructions for getting out of bed while pregnant to avoid injury.

Here are some fun stretches you can do in any trimester of pregnancy:

• Calf stretch with a half dome
• Pelvic tilts (aka cat and cow)
• Downward facing dog
• Hip flexor stretch (I found a bunch of great videos on YouTube about this: here, here and here.)

Foam Roller for Pregnancy Pains

Foam rolling can help release lower back and hip pressure and therefore help alleviate pregnancy back pain. Watch the video below to see what I’m talking about.

TIP:  Buy a foam roller on Amazon.

Kinesiology Tape

According to Diary of a Fit Mommy, “kinesiology tape facilitates the body’s natural healing process and range of motion by providing support and stability to muscles and joints, improving blood flow, reducing pain and swelling and controlling inflammation.”

Check out her post because she goes into great detail about where to place the kinesiology tape during pregnancy.

TIP:  You can buy kinesiology tape on Amazon. I’m partial to the pink. 😉

A Note About Tiger Balm and Pregnancy

Tiger Balm is a popular remedy for back pain, but many wonder – is Tiger Balm safe for pregnancy?

The back of the Tiger Balm jar says to ask a physician before use while pregnant or breastfeeding. I have a hard time imagining a care provider OK’ing Tiger Balm for pregnancy, simply because they don’t know.

Ingredients in Tiger Balm

The active ingredients in Tiger Balm are camphor and menthol. The inactive ingredients in Tiger Balm are cajuput oil, cassia oil, clove oil, dementholised mint, and paraffin petrolatum. Some ingredients in Tiger Balm should be avoided during pregnancy, like camphor, dementholised mint, and clove, while the remaining ingredient’s safety in pregnancy is unknown.

Camphor – According to Demetria Clark’s book Aromatherapy and Herbal Remedies for Pregnancy, Birth and Breastfeeding camphor in pregnancy is a mixed bag. Some sources say it’s ok and others say it’s toxic and unsafe. Also, some animal studies show camphor has had toxic effects on the embryo.
Menthol – The safety of menthol in pregnancy is unknown.
Cajuput Oil – The safety of cajuput oil in pregnancy is unknown.
Cassia Oil – The safety of cassia oil in pregnnacy is unknown.
Clove – Cloves are ok during pregnancy, but clove essential oil is to be avoided. I’m not exactly sure what strength the Tiger Balm’s clove oil is, and their website doesn’t hint at it either.
Dementholised Mint – Dementholised mint should be avoided in pregnancy.
Paraffin Petrolatum – Paraffin petrolatum is a byproduct of oil refinement and not contraindicated during pregnancy, but also not the healthiest for the skin.

Heat

Another natural remedy for pregnancy back pain is the application of mild heat. Here are a few simple ways to apply heat during pregnancy.

• A rice sock
• A heating pad (here are great instructions for how to use a heating pad in pregnancy)
• Hot water bottle in pregnancy
• Heated seats in a vehicle (just turn the a/c on if it’s hot outside)
• Shower and/or bath

TIP:  Using heat is helpful for back labor too!

Hire a Professional to Eliminate Pregnancy Back Pain

Chiropractic Care

A chiropractor is a trained doctor that adjusts the spine and surrounding muscles to improve alignment and therefore alleviate pregnancy back pain. Once the spine is in alignment, the body is able to function optimally, heal itself and tight muscles will be less likely to pull joints out of alignment.

But come to find out, chiropractic care is so much more than that! I asked my chiropractor friend in my community, and this is what he said about how chiropractic care can help with pregnancy back pain.

“Chiropractic care de-stresses the body as a whole, which is helpful for pregnancy, labor and postpartum. When the body is not under stress, it will adapt better in order to do what it needs to do (grow and birth a healthy baby). If her body remains out of alignment it will overcompensate, which leads to ligament issues, hormonal imbalances and instability. The nervous system controls everything in the body and the spine is a huge part of it.”

Dr. Issac Montilla

Physical/Physio Therapy

A physical therapist is a trained practitioner that designs a program of exercises and assists in certain movements and massage techniques to relieve pain and restore strength and mobility.

I asked my friend Dr. Brandon Alkire, a physical therapist in my community, his thoughts on how PT would help pregnancy back pain.

“Back pain and pregnancy seem to go hand in hand and not all back pains are created equal. Whether it is just achy muscles that need some TLC, or a problem with a disk in the spinal cord, or just muscles not quite holding you up like they used to, your physical therapist help find and treat the cause. Along the way you’ll learn some skills to help you get stronger, sleep better and just feel better through birth and beyond. (PS – Physical therapists do postpartum stuff too, like pelvic health, strength and conditioning.”

Massage Therapy

Prenatal massage is not a luxury! Especially during pregnancy, it can be absolutely necessary. While it may feel luxurious, massage works out the kinks that are causing pregnancy back pain. Sweet relief!

(Prenatal massage is one of the happiest things on my ultimate FUN second trimester checklist.)

Massage has many benefits, not just pain relief. According to Massage Magazine it “soothes and relaxes the nervous system by releasing endorphins into the mother’s body. As a result, the expectant mother feels more relaxed and at ease, and will also sleep more easily and more deeply.”

Massage in combination with chiropractic care is even better!

“Massage therapy can aid in chiropractic care, acting like a “warm-up” for the body prior to the adjustment. Adjustments last longer when muscle tension is released – tight muscles pull joints out of alignment, and massage therapy would address that issue directly. In turn, chiropractic care addresses misalignments which gives immediate relief to the soft tissue massage therapy specifically prioritizes. Soft tissue heals quicker once the joints have been restored to proper position.”

Acupuncture Treatment

Acupuncture is a technique derived from Traditional Chinese Medicine where tiny needles are (mostly) painlessly inserted into the skin, stimulating different points along the body. It unblocks the body’s energy, or chi, allowing the body to heal itself.

As abstract as that may sound, according to one study, acupuncture was shown to relieve low-back and pelvic pain without serious adverse effects in late pregnancy.

It works, ya’ll!

Preterm Labor Symptoms and Backache

Of course, this blog post wouldn’t be complete if I didn’t share with you symptoms of preterm labor. I would hate for you to think you simply had pregnancy back pain when you were actually in labor!

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms before 37 weeks contact your care provider immediately.

• bloody mucus
• back ache
• loose stools
• abnormal pelvic pressure
• gush of fluid from vagina
• position changes don’t stop contractions
• contractions get more intense and closer together

(Obviously, if your back hurts it doesn’t mean you’re in labor. But if you are having some of the other symptoms along with back labor contact your care provider ASAP!)

If you are 37 weeks or more, check out these signs of labor to determine if it’s baby time or not.

Natural Remedies for Pregnancy Back Pain

Just to recap, these are a few natural remedies for pregnancy back pain.

1. Nutritious Movement Daily Movement DVD
2. Spinning Babies Daily Essentials DVD
3. Exercise
4. Stretching
5. Foam Roller
6. Kinesiology Tape
7. Not Tiger Balm
8. Heat
9. Chiropractic Care
10. Physical Therapy
11. Massage Therapy
12. Acupuncture Treatment

Leave me a comment and let the Mother Rising community know what worked for you to resolve pregnancy back pain naturally. Thank you!