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Pregnant women's back pain, calf muscle cramps may be overuse injuries, new study speculates
ROSEMONT, Ill.--Pregnant women's low back pain, hip pain and leg or calf muscle cramps could be overuse injuries caused by the increased demand that weight gain places on their ankles and hips, according to a study in the May 2000 issue of The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (JBJS).
"Pregnant women are at risk for overuse injury of their muscles just like athletes who throw a ball too many times or who repeatedly swing a racquet," said co-author Jon R. Davids, MD, a member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. "When pregnant women walk, their muscles must work harder to accomplish the same gait pattern they normally can without the added weight."
Dr. Davids is assistant consulting professor of orthopaedic surgery, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, N.C., and director of the Motion Analysis Laboratory, Shriners Hospitals for Children, Greenville, S.C.
"Pregnant women who are not physically fit are at greatest risk of overuse injury," said lead author Theresa Foti, PhD, Motion Analysis Laboratory, Shriners Hospital for Children, Greenville, S.C.
For the study, researchers performed three-dimensional gait analysis on 15 women (mean age: 32; range: 25-38 years) during the second half of their last trimester of pregnancy. The analysis included measurements describing how the women walked and the muscular forces used as they walked.
"Despite major anatomical changes associated with pregnancy, the appearance of women's gait changed very little," said Dr. Foti. "However, measures indicating increased muscular effort at the hips and ankles were found. This suggests an increased use of muscles to compensate for increases in body mass and weight distribution during pregnancy to keep walking speed, stride length, cadence and joint angles relatively unchanged."
Dr. Davids said that it is this extra work by these muscles that potentially contributes to low back pain, hip and pelvic pain, leg cramps and other lower extremity musculoskeletal conditions associated with pregnancy.
"Women who are physically fit before pregnancy are less likely to get these problems during pregnancy," he said. "Pregnant women also should consider engaging in some type of exercise and conditioning program approved by their physician."
Anita Bagley, PhD, Motion Analysis Laboratory, Shriners Hospitals for Children Northern California, Sacramento, Calif., co-authored the study.
An orthopaedic surgeon is a medical doctor with extensive training in the diagnosis and treatment of injuries and diseases of the musculoskeletal system-the bones, joints and muscles of the body.
The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (JBJS) is the official scientific publication of the 24,500 member American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, a not-for-profit organization which provides educational programs for orthopaedic surgeons, allied health professionals and the public. The peer-reviewed JBJS, located in Needham, Mass., is published monthly. Abstracts are available online at http://www.jbjs.org.
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