Back Care Advice: The best head start for your body

First of all I would like to start off with a big mazal tov to Kate (aka HRH the Duchess of Cambridge) on the birth of a baby boy. Now although I don’t normally make personal announcements on my blog, I have decided this one is very fitting. I am sure Kate is getting the best treatment in town for her and her new royal son. It is not routine for a women’s health physiotherapist to visit a woman directly after birth if she is neither having any problems nor fits into a high risk category for having problems. There is still however a lot of advice that can keep you pain-free and let you focus on being a good mum.

As the well-known saying goes, prevention is better than cure. Looking after your back is imperative before back pain starts to kick in. It is easy to forget about looking after you with the mountains of washing loads that have come out of nowhere and the constant changing of the baby’s nappy and clothes, along with the feeding. You could just say to yourself “what harm will it really do to change the baby on the floor right here, after all it will save me a good minute which I can spend doing another chore around the house”. 

Bending, twisting and lifting are all bad for your back. These are probably the three actions that mothers or anyone really does the most and without even thinking about it. If you can take on board a few tips on how to improve certain actions it can save you a lot of back pain in the future. 

Babies need to be changed a lot throughout the day. It is therefore important to have a place in your house that is a suitable height for changing them. A chest of drawers is normally the correct height for most people. This will avoid bending or over stretching when doing this task throughout the day.  

Another action repeated many times after birth is feeding the baby. Whether by breast or bottle, make sure you are sitting in a comfortable position with your back properly supported. If you are breastfeeding make sure the baby is at the height of your breast instead of you bending towards your baby. You can buy fancy pillows for this or even just use a regular pillow to prop the baby to the right height. 

When you are lifting something heavy, whether it is the laundry or something else make sure you bend down on one knee with your back straight and hold the item close to you as you lift it up; this is much better than bending your back over to pick it up. 

I have only mentioned a few activities but the principles are the same for everything you do in life, so make sure you applythese principles to your lifestyle for a healthy, happy you. 

If you are suffering from back pain and would like to book an appointment, please contact me on 0544485086 or by email to tamaramay.physio@gmail.com.  I can arrange to see you in Bishvilaych Women's Comprehensive Medical Centre in Givat Shaul, Jerusalem or a home visit if you live in Gush Etzion.