Top 5 Exercises for Lower Back Pain in Pregnancy and How Chiropractic Can Help

Being pregnant is a joyous journey, but it often comes with aches and pains. If you're an expecting mother in Ajax, Ontario, dealing with persistent lower back pain, you're not alone. The body's natural changes usually cause pain; growing belly shifts your center of gravity and weakens abdominal muscles, changing your posture and straining your back. 

Pregnancy hormones also loosen the ligaments in your pelvis, and the extra weight adds stress to your joints. While the discomfort often improves after giving birth, for many women, back pain lingers for months after giving birth, making early intervention and proper care even more critical. 

At Somerset Family Chiropractic and Wellness Centre, we will help you with our Top five exercises for lower back pain in pregnancy.

5 Exercises to Ease Lower Back Pain During Pregnancy

Before starting any new exercise, please consult your healthcare provider to ensure it’s safe for your situation. Always listen to your body and avoid any stretches or exercises that cause pain. 

With that in mind, incorporating the following five exercises into your routine can help alleviate lower back pain and build core strength. These pregnancy stretches and exercises for lower back pain are gentle, require no special equipment, and are suitable for most moms-to-be:

1. Pelvic Tilts

Pelvic tilt exercises strengthen and stabilize the abdominal and lower back muscles, providing crucial support for your spine. To perform a basic pelvic tilt, lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Gently tilt your pelvis to press your lower back into the floor, tightening your abdominal muscles. 

Hold for a few seconds, then release. Repeat about 10 times. Pelvic tilts are safe throughout pregnancy and relieve that deep ache by engaging your core and taking pressure off your lower back.

 2. Cat-Cow Stretch

This yoga-inspired spinal stretch improves mobility and relieves tension in the back. Begin on your hands and knees with hands under shoulders and knees under hips. Inhale and arch your back, dropping your belly slightly and lifting your head and tailbone. Then exhale and round your spine, tucking your chin to your chest and tailbone. Continue gently flowing between arched and rounded back positions. 

Repeat 10–15 times in a slow, controlled manner. The Cat-Cow stretch moves your spine through a gentle range of motion to loosen tight back muscles and feels great for an achy lower back. When pregnant, it’s a simple stretch for the lower back that you can do daily for flexibility and pain relief.

3. Child’s Pose

A popular restorative yoga pose, Child’s Pose provides a deep yet gentle stretch for the lower back and hips. From hands and knees, shift your hips back toward your heels while reaching your arms forward, lowering your chest toward the floor. You can spread your knees apart for comfort as your belly grows, and use a pillow under your abdomen if needed. Relax in this Pose and take slow breaths for 30–60 seconds. 

Child’s Pose helps lengthen the muscles along the lower back and releases tension in the lumbar region and sacrum. It’s one of the most soothing pregnancy stretches for lower back pain, and you can do it whenever you need a quick relief throughout the day.

4. Bird Dog

The Bird Dog exercise is a safe core-strengthening move that targets your back muscles, abdominals, and glutes, supporting your lower back. Start on all fours with a neutral spine. Engage your core, then extend your right arm forward while extending your left leg straight back, forming one line with your body. Pause momentarily, then return to the start and repeat on the opposite side. Perform about 10 repetitions per side. This exercise teaches your muscles to stabilize your spine during movement.

The bird dog is highly recommended because it targets the core muscles and can reduce the risk of back pain in pregnancy. If balancing is difficult, you can modify by lifting just one limb at a time until you build more strength.

5. Hip Flexor Stretch

Tight hip flexors are a common culprit in low back pain. As your belly grows, these muscles can shorten and pull on your pelvis, increasing the arch in your lower back. Stretching them gently will ease that pressure. 

Kneel on one knee (use a pillow under your knee for cushioning) and place your other foot in front of you with that knee bent 90 degrees. Keeping your torso upright, lean forward into the front hip until you feel a gentle stretch in the front of the hip of your kneeling leg. Hold for 20–30 seconds, then switch sides. 

By releasing tight hip flexors, you relieve strain on the lumbar spine. Do this stretch daily on each side to keep your hips flexible and reduce lower back tension.

How Chiropractic Care Can Help: During Pregnancy and Beyond

While exercises and stretches go a long way in managing lower back pain, they are just one piece of the puzzle. Chiropractic care is a highly effective, drug-free way to address spinal alignment and relieve musculoskeletal strain during pregnancy. 

At Somerset Family Chiropractic and Wellness Centre, we offer specialized prenatal and postnatal chiropractic services to support mothers through every stage of pregnancy and recovery. Our chiropractors understand the changes a pregnant body undergoes and use gentle, safe techniques to help keep your spine and pelvis aligned. 

Post-Natal Chiropractic Care

One of the key benefits of prenatal chiropractic care is that it focuses on restoring balance to your pelvic alignment and reducing nerve pressure, which eases tension in the lower back. A well-aligned pelvis also creates more room for your growing baby. 

Chiropractic support doesn’t end once the baby is born. Many new moms continue to experience lower back pain after pregnancy as their bodies recover from childbirth and adjust to new routines. It’s common for back pain to linger for several months postpartum, and the demands of caring for an infant can contribute to ongoing lower back problems after pregnancy if not addressed. 

Postnatal chiropractic care can be highly beneficial in this phase. After delivery, your chiropractor can help realign your spine and pelvis, easing postpartum back pain and aiding your body’s return to its pre-pregnancy posture. Gentle adjustments and exercises can also help with issues like pelvic instability or mid-back pain from breastfeeding posture.

A More Comfortable Pregnancy Life!

Lower back pain in pregnancy can be challenging, but it doesn’t have to diminish the joy of expecting a baby. By incorporating the exercises for lower back pain in pregnancy outlined above and seeking supportive care like chiropractic and massage, you can significantly reduce discomfort and improve mobility. 

If you’re a pregnant or postpartum mom in Ajax, Ontario, dealing with back pain, know that relief is available. A combination of gentle stretches, appropriate exercises, and professional chiropractic care can help you manage and overcome lower back pain during pregnancy and after. Our team at Somerset Family Chiropractic and Wellness Centre is dedicated to helping you lead a comfortable and enjoyable journey into motherhood.

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